奥巴马每日发言At Recovery Act Implementation Conference(2009

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT RECOVERY ACT IMPLEMENTATION¹ CONFERENCE

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Room 450
Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building

11:10 A.M. EDT
 

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, everybody.  Please, have a seat.  I've got my Illinois contingent² over here.  Please, everybody have a seat.  Thank you so much.

I just wanted to stop by and say hello.  I know that you heard from Joe Biden at the top of this session, and I wanted to let you know that we are very grateful to all of you for taking the time to come.  We hope that this is being a productive session.  And I want to emphasize that all of you are at the front lines of what is probably the most important task that we have in this country over the next couple of years, and that's getting the economy started again.

I think all of you in your respective roles are hearing stories of people who are going through extraordinary hardship in your respective states.  And we passed this American Recovery and Reinvestment Act because we strongly believe that this is an opportunity not only to deal with the immediate³ crisis, but also to lay the foundations for long-term growth and prosperity in this country.

And, you know, the American people are behind what we're doing.  And the question then becomes are we going to be able to deliver for them.  They are going to be watching very carefully.  And there are those who believe that government doesn't have a role to play in this recovery.  There are those who believe that we should be focusing exclusively on Wall Street when it comes to this crisis, and that we don't have time to worry about infrastructure⁴, and we don't have time to worry about our health systems, and we don't have time to think about how we're going to improve our educational systems.

And all of you, what you do in the coming weeks and coming months, over the next couple of years is going to make a huge difference in whether or not the trust that the American people have placed in us is justified⁵.

So my main message to all of you is I think you're up to the task; I think you guys will do extraordinary work with using these precious tax dollars that the American people have given up in order to deliver on the kind of economic growth -- short-term and long-term -- and job creation that's going to be so important.

But we're going to need to work really hard and we're going to have to make sure that every single dollar is well spent.  We've got to go above and beyond what I think is the typical ways of doing business in order to make sure that the American people get the help that they need and that our economy gets the boost that it needs.

And so I've said before -- I know Joe emphasized this to you earlier -- if we see money being misspent, we're going to put a stop to it, and we will call it out and we will publicize it.  On the other hand, if the money is being spent as it needs to be spent -- to rebuild our roads and our bridges and our schools, and making sure that we are putting in place the kinds of infrastructure foundations that are necessary for economic growth over the long term -- then I think all of us will benefit and our voters and our constituents⁶, the people we work for, are going to be extraordinarily⁷ grateful.

So you've got this -- this wonderful mission and, you know, it's rare where you get a chance to put your shoulder to the wheel of history and move it in a better direction.  This is such an opportunity.  I hope all of you seize it.  I know this is very tough work because you've got a lot of money coming out quickly, it's got to be spent wisely, you don't always have the infrastructure, the organizational structures to accommodate all this stuff right away, and you're going to have to build that -- and do so in record time.

But looking around, you guys look like pretty capable people.  So I have great confidence in you and I think you're going to do a wonderful job.  We appreciate you; good luck; and I'll be seeing you at some ribbon cuttings.  All right.  Thank you.  (Applause.)

END
11:14 A.M. EDT

1 implementation   

n.实施，贯彻

参考例句：

• Implementation of the program is now well underway.这一项目的实施现在行情看好。

2 contingent   

adj.视条件而定的；n.一组，代表团，分遣队

参考例句：

• The contingent marched in the direction of the Western Hills.队伍朝西山的方向前进。
• Whether or not we arrive on time is contingent on the weather.我们是否按时到达要视天气情况而定。

3 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

4 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

5 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

6 constituents   

n.选民( constituent的名词复数 )；成分；构成部分；要素

参考例句：

• She has the full support of her constituents. 她得到本区选民的全力支持。
• Hydrogen and oxygen are the constituents of water. 氢和氧是水的主要成分。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。