2016年奥巴马国情咨文演讲

So let's talk about the future, and four big questions that we as a country have to answer – regardless of who the next President is, or who controls the next Congress.
让我们先来谈谈未来，以及美国需要回答的四个大问题——无论下一届美国总统是谁，无论哪个党派掌控国会。

First, how do we give everyone a fair shot at opportunity and security in this new economy?
首先，我们如何在新经济中给每个人公平的机会和保障？

Second, how do we make technology work for us, and not against us – especially when it comes to solving urgent challenges like climate change?
第二，我们如何让技术为我们服务，而不是与我们对抗——尤其是面临气候变化这样急需应对的挑战的时候？

Third, how do we keep America safe and lead the world without becoming its policeman?
第三，我们如何保障美国的安全，同时，在不充当世界警察的前提下，引领整个世界？

And finally, how can we make our politics reflect what's best in us, and not what's worst?
最后，我们如何制定政策，使其反映出美国的好，而不是美国的恶？

Let me start with the economy, and a basic fact: the United States of America, right now, has the strongest, most durable economy in the world. We're in the middle of the longest streak of private-sector job creation in history. More than 14 million new jobs; the strongest two years of job growth since the '90s; an unemployment rate cut in half. Our auto industry just had its best year ever. Manufacturing has created nearly 900,000 new jobs in the past six years. And we've done all this while cutting our deficits by almost three-quarters.
我先说说经济，基本的事实是这样的：现在，在全球范围内，美国经济是最为强大且坚固的。纵观历史，我们现在处于私营部门连续创造就业机会最长的一段时期中。我们创造了逾1400万个新的就业岗位；这是自20世纪90年代以来就业增长最为强劲的两年；失业率下降了一半。汽车行业也创造了最辉煌的一年。在过去的六年里，制造业创造了将近90万个新的就业岗位。而且，我们在取得这些成绩的同时，还将赤字减少了近四分之三.

Anyone claiming that America's economy is in decline is peddling fiction. What is true – and the reason that a lot of Americans feel anxious – is that the economy has been changing in profound ways, changes that started long before the Great Recession hit and haven't let up. Today, technology doesn't just replace jobs on the assembly line, but any job where work can be automated. Companies in a global economy can locate anywhere, and face tougher competition. As a result, workers have less leverage for a raise. Companies have less loyalty to their communities. And more and more wealth and income is concentrated at the very top.
任何声称美国经济正在衰落的说法都是在传播虚构事实。实际情况——同时也是许多美国人感到焦虑的原因——是美国经济正在经历巨大变革，而且这变革早在大萧条发生之前就已经开始，到现在还没有结束。今天，能够被高科技取代的工作岗位并不仅限于生产线，还包括任何可以实现自动化的岗位。在经济全球化中，公司可以落户于世界任何地方，也会面临更加激烈的竞争。其结果是，雇员要求加薪的筹码变少。公司对其所在群体的忠诚度更低。同时，越来越多的财富和收入积聚到社会顶层阶级手中。

All these trends have squeezed workers, even when they have jobs; even when the economy is growing. It's made it harder for a hardworking family to pull itself out of poverty, harder for young people to start on their careers, and tougher for workers to retire when they want to. And although none of these trends are unique to America, they do offend our uniquely American belief that everybody who works hard should get a fair shot.
这些变化趋势挤压了雇员的生存空间，即使他们拥有工作，即使美国经济一直在增长。工薪家庭想要通过努力工作，摆脱贫困，年轻人想要开创自己的事业，雇员想要适时退休，都已经不太容易。虽然面临这些变革的不只有美国，但是这些的确违背了独有的美国式信念，那就是，任何努力工作的人都应当得到公平待遇。

For the past seven years, our goal has been a growing economy that works better for everybody. We've made progress. But we need to make more. And despite all the political arguments we've had these past few years, there are some areas where Americans broadly agree.
在过去的七年中，我们的目标一直都是，保持经济增长，以造福每一个人。我们已经取得了一些进步。但是，我们需要继续努力。尽管在过去的一些年中，我们有过许多政治上的争论，但是在一些领域，我们取得了普遍的共识。

We agree that real opportunity requires every American to get the education and training they need to land a good-paying job. The bipartisan reform of No Child Left Behind was an important start, and together, we've increased early childhood education, lifted high school graduation rates to new highs, and boosted graduates in fields like engineering. In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by providing Pre-K for all, offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one, and we should recruit and support more great teachers for our kids.
我们一致认为，真正的机会在于每一个美国人都能获得能够必要的教育及培训，让他们能够胜任一份收入理想的工作。“不让一个孩子掉队”的两党改革政策，就是一个重要的开端，同时，我们加强了儿童早期教育，进一步提高了高中毕业率，使工程学等专业毕业生得以增长。未来，我们要以这些成绩为基础，通过普及全民早教，让所有学生都接受计算机实践和数学课程培训，为他们将来步入职场做好准备。同时，我们要为孩子们招录更多优秀的教师，并给予这些教师更好的待遇。

And we have to make college affordable for every American. Because no hardworking student should be stuck in the red. We've already reduced student loan payments to ten percent of a borrower's income. Now, we've actually got to cut the cost of college. Providing two years of community college at no cost for every responsible student is one of the best ways to do that, and I'm going to keep fighting to get that started this year.
同时，我们要让每个美国人都能上得起大学。因为，勤奋的学生不应该因为贫困被挡在校门之外。我们已经将助学贷款的还款额降至借款人收入的10%。接下来，我们需要降低大学费用。两年制的社区大学将为每一位有责任感的学生提供免费教育，这是降低大学费用最理想的方式之一。我会不断努力让这个方案在今年启动。

Of course, a great education isn't all we need in this new economy. We also need benefits and protections that provide a basic measure of security. After all, it's not much of a stretch to say that some of the only people in America who are going to work the same job, in the same place, with a health and retirement package, for 30 years, are sitting in this chamber. For everyone else, especially folks in their forties and fifties, saving for retirement or bouncing back from job loss has gotten a lot tougher. Americans understand that at some point in their careers, they may have to retool and retrain. But they shouldn't lose what they've already worked so hard to build.
当然，在新经济中，我们所需要的不仅仅是优质的教育。我们还需要能够提供基本生活保障的福利和保护措施。如果说在座的各位，是美国为数不多的能够在同一个地方从事同一份工作30年，还能获得健康和养老保障的人，也不算夸张。而对于其他人，特别是四五十岁的美国人来说，为退休后的生存点钱或是在失业后重振旗鼓，已经越来越困难。大家都认识到，在他们职业生涯的某个时刻，他们不得不重新接受培训，重新学习技能。但是，他们不应当失去他们这么多年辛勤工作所获得的东西。

That's why Social Security and Medicare are more important than ever; we shouldn't weaken them, we should strengthen them. And for Americans short of retirement, basic benefits should be just as mobile as everything else is today. That's what the Affordable Care Act is all about. It's about filling the gaps in employer-based care so that when we lose a job, or go back to school, or start that new business, we'll still have coverage. Nearly eighteen million have gained coverage so far. Health care inflation has slowed. And our businesses have created jobs every single month since it became law.
这也是社会保障及医疗保险制度在今天尤为重要的原因；它们不该被弱化，而应进一步加强。对于退休年龄较晚的美国人，基本福利应与当今的其他事物一样尽可能移动化。这就是《平价医疗法案》的意义所在，这个法案旨在填补基于雇主的医疗保险系统的空缺，我们失业、返校求学或创业时，依然能享受医疗保障。目前为止，已有近1800万人受益。医疗费用通胀也有所缓解。自法案实施起，我们的企业每个月都能创造新的工作岗位。

Now, I'm guessing we won't agree on health care anytime soon. But there should be other ways both parties can improve economic security. Say a hardworking American loses his job – we shouldn't just make sure he can get unemployment insurance; we should make sure that program encourages him to retrain for a business that's ready to hire him. If that new job doesn't pay as much, there should be a system of wage insurance in place so that he can still pay his bills. And even if he's going from job to job, he should still be able to save for retirement and take his savings with him. That's the way we make the new economy work better for everyone.
我想我们在短期内还无法就医疗保险制度达成共识。但两党可以在改进经济保障制度的问题上采取一些新的措施。假设一位辛勤工作的美国人丢了工作，我们不该仅仅确保他能获得失业保险，而应确保这个制度能够支持他接受再培训以胜任新的工作。如果这份新工作的报酬不如上一份工作，那么就该有薪酬保障制度保证他能养活自己。即使他一直在换工作，也还能为退休储蓄并能支配自己的积蓄。这就是我们让大家更好地受益于新经济的方式。

I also know Speaker Ryan has talked about his interest in tackling poverty. America is about giving everybody willing to work a hand up, and I'd welcome a serious discussion about strategies we can all support, like expanding tax cuts for low-income workers without kids.
我知道国会众议院发言人保罗•瑞恩提到过他对解决贫困问题的看法。美国是一个会给每个愿意工作的人机会的国家，我欢迎大家提出可行性战略，如为无子女低收入人群减税的方案。

But there are other areas where it's been more difficult to find agreement over the last seven years – namely what role the government should play in making sure the system's not rigged in favor of the wealthiest and biggest corporations. And here, the American people have a choice to make.
但在过去七年里还有其他难以达成一致的领域，比如，政府应该扮演怎样的角色，才能保证制度不向最富有的财团和大公司倾斜。在此，美国人民需要做出选择。

I believe a thriving private sector is the lifeblood of our economy. I think there are outdated regulations that need to be changed, and there's red tape that needs to be cut. But after years of record corporate profits, working families won't get more opportunity or bigger paychecks by letting big banks or big oil or hedge funds make their own rules at the expense of everyone else; or by allowing attacks on collective bargaining to go unanswered. Food Stamp recipients didn't cause the financial crisis; recklessness on Wall Street did. Immigrants aren't the reason wages haven't gone up enough; those decisions are made in the boardrooms that too often put quarterly earnings over long-term returns. It's sure not the average family watching tonight that avoids paying taxes through offshore accounts. In this new economy, workers and start-ups and small businesses need more of a voice, not less. The rules should work for them. And this year I plan to lift up the many businesses who've figured out that doing right by their workers ends up being good for their shareholders, their customers, and their communities, so that we can spread those best practices across America.
蓬勃发展的私营经济是我们国家经济的命脉。我认为，其有些过时的规则需要改变，有些繁文缛节需要摒弃。在企业连续多年利润破纪录之后，如果让大银行、石油巨头或对冲基金制定只对自己有利的规则，或者允许对集体谈判的攻击置之不理，工薪阶层就无法获得更多机会和更多薪水。引发经济危机的不是那些领食物券的人，而是华尔街那些鲁莽行事的人。移民人口不是阻碍薪酬上涨的原因；那些决议是由董事会的人提出的，他们经常将季度分红看得比长期回报还重。可以肯定的是，正在看我演讲的普通家庭不会通过离岸账户避税。在新经济的形势下，工人、新兴企业和小型企业需要更多发言权。规则应该使他们受益。今年，我计划激励那些善待工人的企业，这些企业明白只有善待工人才能让股东、顾客和所在群体最终受益，这样我们才能在全美推行这种良策。