奥巴马每周电视讲话：为美国中产阶级争取更好的保障

For the past few weeks,

过去几个星期，

I've been visiting folks across America to talk about what we need to do as a country to secure a better bargain for the middle class.

我走遍美国，与人们谈论作为一个国家为中产阶级争取更好的保障应该做些什么。

I've been laying out my ideas for how we can build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in America.

对于如何为中产阶级打下坚实基础我也已经提出了意见。

A good job. A good education.

那就是一份好的工作，好的教育，

Affordable¹ health care when you get sick.

生病的时候负担得起的医疗，

A secure retirement² even if you're not rich. And the chance to own your own home.

即便不太富裕也可以安度晚年的退休金，以及可以拥有自己的住房。

This week, I went to Arizona and California, two of the states hit hardest when the housing bubble burst, triggering the recession.

本周，我到访了亚利桑那和加里福利亚，这两个州在房地产泡沫破裂的时候遭受的打击最为严重，并因此引发了经济衰退。

All across the country, millions of responsible Americans were hurt badly by the reckless actions of others.

全国各地有数百万负责任的美国人因为其他人的无良行径而受到伤害。

Home values plummeted³.

房产价值一落千丈。

Construction workers were laid off.

建筑工人们失去工作。

And many families lost their homes.

大量家庭失去了住房。

Over the past four years, we've worked to help millions of responsible homeowners get back on their feet.

在过去的4年里，我们帮助数百万负责任的购房者重新站了起来。

And while we're not where we need to be yet, our housing market is beginning to heal.

但我们还远未达到我们的既定目标，我们的房地产市场才刚刚开始恢复。

Home prices and sales are rising.

房产价格和销量正在上升。

Construction is up.

建筑行业也在上涨。

Foreclosures are down.

破产止赎的房产也在减少。

Millions of families have come up for air because they're no longer underwater on their mortgages.

数百万家庭由于再也不用背负沉重的住房抵押贷款而送了一口气。

Now we have to build on this progress.

现在我们需要维持这一势头。

Congress should give every American the chance to refinance at today's low rates.

国会应该给每个美国人一个机会，在现在的低利率水平下重做抵押贷款。

We should help more qualified⁴ families get a mortgage and buy their first home.

我们应该帮助更多符合条件的家庭取得抵押贷款，购买他们的第一份房产。

We should get construction workers back on the job rebuilding communities hit hardest by the crisis.

我们应该让建筑工人重返工地，重建被经济危机冲击最严重的地区。

And we should make sure that folks who don't want to buy a home have decent, affordable places to rent.

而且我们还应该确保不想买房的人们能以合理的价格租住房屋，而生活质量不会因此而下降。

As home prices rise, we have to turn the page on the bubble-and-burst mentality⁵ that created this mess, and build a housing system that ' s rock-solid and rewards responsibility for generations to come.

当房产价格上涨时，我们必须将注意力放到预防房产泡沫和泡沫破裂的问题上来，建立一个坚如磐石的房地产体系，为未来世代负责任的人带来好处。

We need to wind down the companies known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,

我们需要给房利美和房贷美这样的公司松绑，

make sure private capital plays a bigger role in the mortgage market,

让私人资本在住房抵押市场扮演更重要的角色，

and end the era of expecting a bailout after your pursuit of profit puts the whole country at risk.

而对于置整个国家风险而不顾追求个人利益，一旦出现问题就指望国家援助的时代，必须得以终结。

We need to preserve access to safe and simple mortgages like the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage.

我们应该保留像30年期固定利率这样的方便申请的安全简单的抵押贷款。

We need to keep laying down rules of the road that protect homeowners when they're making the biggest purchase of their lives.

我们需要持续减少对购房者的审批流程，保护他们做出人生之中最重大的一笔投资。

And finally, Congress needs to confirm Mel Watt⁶ to be our nation's top housing regulator, so that he can protect consumers and help responsible lenders provide credit.

最后，国会还需要确认梅尔?瓦特出任国家住房金融局局长，以便他能保护消费者并为负责任的放贷人提供帮助。

No program or policy will solve all the problems in a multi-trillion dollar housing market, and it will take time to fully⁷ recover.

没有任何一项计划或政策可以解决数万亿的房地产市场的所有问题，其全面恢复仍需时日。

But if we work together, we can make a home a source of pride and middle-class security again.

但如果我们共同努力，我们就可以让住房再次成为中产阶级自信和安宁的源泉。

And if Washington is willing to set aside politics and focus on what really matters, we can rebuild an economy where if you work hard, you can get ahead.

如果华盛顿愿意放下政见差异，专注于真正重要的事情，我们就可以重建一个任何努力工作的人都能取得成功的经济体。

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

谢谢大家，祝你们周末愉快！

1 affordable   

adj.支付得起的，不太昂贵的

参考例句：

• The rent for the four-roomed house is affordable.四居室房屋的房租付得起。
• There are few affordable apartments in big cities.在大城市中没有几所公寓是便宜的。

2 retirement   

n.退休，退职

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。

3 plummeted   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Share prices plummeted to an all-time low. 股票价格暴跌到历史最低点。
• A plane plummeted to earth. 一架飞机一头栽向地面。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

5 mentality   

n.心理，思想，脑力

参考例句：

• He has many years'experience of the criminal mentality.他研究犯罪心理有多年经验。
• Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee.经营企业所要求具备的心态和上班族的心态截然不同。

6 watt   

n.瓦，瓦特

参考例句：

• The invention of the engine is creditable to Watt.发动机的发明归功于瓦特。
• The unit of power is watt.功率的单位是瓦特。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。