奥巴马每周电视讲话：总统阐释劳工节传承的财富（02）

It's why I issued a call to raise the minimum wage, and when Congress ignored that call, 18 states and the District of Columbia,

我还呼吁提高最低工资，而国会对此无动于衷时，有18 个州和哥伦比亚特区

plus another 51 cities and counties went ahead and gave their workers a raise.

加上其它51 个城镇却行动起来，给他们的工人加薪。

It's why the very first bill I signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act;

这就是为什么我尽早签署《莱德贝特公平报酬法》；

why we gave paid sick days to federal contractors¹;

我们提供带薪病假给联邦承包人；

why we've fought for worker safety and the right to organize.

我们为工人的安全和组织的权利而战。

And we've made good progress.

我们已经取得了良好的进展。

For a few years after the recession, the top one percent did capture almost all income gains.

经济衰退后的几年，1%最富有者几乎都有办法增加收入。

But that share has been cut by almost half. Last year, income for everybody else grew at the fastest pace since the 1990s.

但那时股价几乎被腰斩。去年，每个人的收入增长速度是1990 年代以来的最快的。

And another 20 million Americans know the financial security of health insurance.

另有2 千万名美国人知晓健康保险的金融保障。

I'm the first to say we've got more work to do in the years ahead.

我首先提出，我们在未来的岁月里还有更多的工作要做。

I know we're in the heat of a more raucous² political season than usual.

我知道我们身处于比平时更加热络的政治季节里。

But we can't get so distracted by the latest bluster³ that we lose sight of the policies that will actually help working families get ahead.

但我们不能被争吵声分散注意力，而看不见的政策实际上会帮助工薪家庭获得成功。

The truth is, that's what's caused some of the frustration⁴ that's roiling⁵ our politics right now

这是真的，现在政治动荡引起一些失落感，

too many working folks still feel left behind by an economy that's constantly changing.

太多工作的人们还是觉得跟不上当前经济波动的节奏。

So as a country, we've got to make some choices.

作为一个国家，我们有一些选项要抉择。

Do we want to be a country where the typical woman working full-time⁶ earns 79 cents for every dollar a man makes

典型的女性全职工作的国家，是女工赚0.79 美元的岗位男性却能赚一美元，

or one where they earn equal pay for equal work?

还是男女同工同酬？

1 contractors   

n.（建筑、监造中的）承包人( contractor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We got estimates from three different contractors before accepting the lowest. 我们得到3个承包商的报价后，接受了最低的报价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Contractors winning construction jobs had to kick back 2 per cent of the contract price to the mafia. 赢得建筑工作的承包商得抽出合同价格的百分之二的回扣给黑手党。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 raucous   

adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的

参考例句：

• I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs.我听见楼上传来沙哑的笑声。
• They heard a bottle being smashed,then more raucous laughter.他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。

3 bluster   

v.猛刮；怒冲冲的说；n.吓唬，怒号；狂风声

参考例句：

• We could hear the bluster of the wind and rain.我们能听到狂风暴雨的吹打声。
• He was inclined to bluster at first,but he soon dropped.起初他老爱吵闹一阵，可是不久就不做声了。

4 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

5 roiling   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的现在分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• Now, all that could be seen was the roiling, lead--coloured sea, with its thunderously heaving waves. 狂风挟着暴雨如同弥漫大雾，排挞呼号，在海上恣意奔驶。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Rather, it is a roiling, seething cauldron of evanescent particles. 相反，它是一个不断翻滚、剧烈沸腾的大锅，内有逐渐消失的粒子。 来自互联网

6 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。