美国总统奥巴马每周电台演讲2015.04.12

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Joe Biden and I'm here filling in for President Obama, who is traveling abroad. 

And I'm here with a simple message: middle-class economics works.

Our economy has gone from crisis to recovery to now to resurgence—with the longest streak of consecutive job growth ever recorded in the history of this country and more than all other advanced countries combined.

But to make sure everyone is part of this resurgence, we need to build on what we know widens the path to the middle class—and you all know what it is, access to education.

Folks, the source of our economic power and middle class strength in the 20th Century was the fact that we were among the first major nations in the world to provide twelve years of free education for our citizens.

女士们、先生们，我是乔·拜登在此替出国访问的奥巴马总统与各位交流。

我就说简简单单的一件事：中产阶级经济学奏效了。

我们的经济已经从危机走向复苏，现在达到了重振--带来了我国历史上最长一波持续就业增长、比其它所有发达国家的总和还多。

但是要确保每个人是这个重振的一部分，我们需要在我们所知的拓宽通往中产阶级之路的要素--你们也都知道这是什么，获得教育的机会的基础上更进一步。

But in the 21st Century, other countries have already caught up and twelve years is simply no longer enough—a minimum of fourteen years is necessary for families to have a surer path to the middle class and for the United States to be able to out-compete the rest of the world.

Consider that by the end of the decade, two out of three of all jobs will require an education beyond high school, from an 18-week certificate to a two-year associate's degree to a four-year bachelor's, or a PhD.

And consider that folks with an associate's degree earn 25% more than someone who graduated just from high school. And folks who graduate with a four-year degree make 70% more.

But today, the cost of higher education is too high for too many Americans. Too many folks are priced out of a piece of the middle-class dream.

但是在21世纪，其它国家已经迎头赶上，12年（教育）已经明显不够了--至少14年（教育）是最多家庭确保进入中产阶级行列的必需，也是美国能够在与世界上其它国家的竞争中胜出的必需。

想想吧，到本十年的末期，三分之二的工作岗位将要求超过高中的学历，从18周的培训证书到两年的副学位到本科学位或博士学位。

想想吧，有副学位的人们比仅仅有高中学历的人们工资高25%。有本科学位的人们的工资比他们要高70%。

但是今天，高等教育的成本对太多的美国家庭来讲太高了。太多的人们被高价排除在中产阶级梦之外。

And that's why the President and I have a straightforward plan to remove that barrier and expand the pathway to the middle class—by bringing the cost of community colleges down—down to zero.

Zero—for anyone willing to work for it and for the institutions that meet certain basic requirements.

Our plan is no give-away. Students must keep up their grades and stay on track to graduate. States must contribute funding and hold community colleges accountable for the results. And community colleges must maintain high graduation and job placement rates.

And here's a key point—community colleges will have to offer courses that are directly transferrable to a four-year degree.

If two years of community college are free—and credits can transfer to a four-year university—that means the cost of a four-year degree will be cut in half for a lot of working families struggling to send their children to college, qualified children.

这就是为什么总统和我提出了一个简单的计划来扫除这个障碍并且通过降低社区大学的成本--直到零成本--来拓宽通往中产阶级之路。

零成本--对任何努力想上大学的人们和满足特定的基本要求的机构。

我们的计划不是馈赠。学生们必须好好学习直到毕业。各州必须提供资金并且保证社区大学对教育结果负责。社区大学必须维持高毕业率和高就业率。
关键在于--社区大学将必须提供可以直接转入本科的课程。
如果社区大学免费--学分可以带到本科大学--这意味着本科大学的成本对很多努力送孩子们--符合上大学标准的孩子们--上大学的工薪家庭将削减一半。
And under our plan, students from low-income families will be able to keep the benefits that flow from other financial aid, like Pell grants, to cover childcare, housing, transportation—costs that often keep them from attending class and completing a degree in the first place.
But here's another key point. Not every good-paying job will require a two-year or four-year degree. Some of these jobs will require just a training certificate that can be earned in just a few months.
For example, you can go to an 18-week coding bootcamp—with no previous experience in computers—and become a computer programmer making up to $70,000 a year. 

There are other jobs in fields like advanced manufacturing and energy that pay $40,000, $50,000, $60,000 a year—jobs you can raise a family on.

It's a simple fact that community colleges are the most flexible educational institutions we have. I've traveled all over this country, from New York to Iowa to California, to see how community colleges create partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and local businesses to generate jobs; support apprenticeships with organized labor, and prepare hardworking students for good-paying jobs in the areas in which they live.

根据我们的计划，来自低收入家庭的学生们将可以继续享受来自其它金融救助的福利，如佩尔奖学金，来支付儿保、住房和交通的成本--经常阻止他们上学和以第一名的成绩竞争学位。

还有另一个关键点。并非每一个高收入的工作岗位都要求两年制大学或本科学历。这些工作岗位中有些仅仅需要几个月就能获得的培训证书。

例如，你可以参加一个为期18个月的编码训练营--不需要有计算机相关的经验--成为年收入70,000美元的计算机程序员。

在先进制造业和能源领域还有其它一些工作岗位年收入达40,000美元、50,000美元和60,000美元--这些工作足以让你们养家糊口了。

社区大学是我们拥有的最具弹性的教育机构是个显而易见的事实。我已经走遍了全国，从纽约到爱荷华州到加利福尼亚州，了解社区大学如何与财富500强企业联手创造就业岗位；支持有组织的学徒培训，为在我们生活的地方的高收入工作岗位培养勤奋工作的学生。

Making community colleges free is good for workers, it's good for companies, and it's good for our economy.

Here's what we propose: Close loopholes for the wealthiest investors and levy a .07% fee on the biggest banks to discourage the kind of risky behavior that crashed our economy just a few years ago.

Doing just that would pay for free community college—and provide a leg up for working families through tax credits to cover necessities like childcare.

That's what middle-class economics is all about—giving folks a fair chance to get ahead. A fair tax code. No guarantees. Just a fair chance.

It's simple folks, two years of community college should become as free and as universal as high school is today if we're to make this economic resurgence permanent and well into the 21st Century.

So I want to thank you all for listening. I hope you have a great weekend and God bless you all and may God protect our troops.
让社区大学免费有利于工人们，有利于公司、有利于我们的国家。
我们提议的是：堵塞有利于最富裕的投资人们的税收漏洞并且对大银行征收0.07%的费用来遏制几年前几乎毁了我们国家的那种风险投资行为。
仅这一项就足以维持社区大学免费了--通过税务减免为工薪家庭提供帮助来支付儿保等必需的成本。
这就是中产阶级经济学的全部内容--给人们一个公平的致富机会。一个公平的税法。不是确保，仅仅是个机会。
各位，这很简单，如果我们永远保持这个重振直到21世纪，两年制社区大学就会像高中一样免费和普及。
所以我想感谢你们所有人的聆听。我希望你们周末快乐，上帝保佑你们所有人，上帝保佑美国军队。