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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
A group of economists2 has told Democrats4 in Congress on Tuesday that it might take longer for the recently-passed $787 billion stimulus5 plan to generate the number of jobs lawmakers and President Barack Obama hoped it would.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (middle)and Economist1 Allen Sinai speaking to reporters at US Capitol, 10 Mar6 2009
Majority Democrats and President Obama identified job creation as a main objective of the economic stimulus package Congress approved last month.
However, in a meeting at the U.S. Capitol with House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democratic leaders, four prominent economists dampened that expectation.
Allen Sinai, Chief Global Economist at Boston-based Decision Economics, Inc., says the number of jobs created by the stimulus plan might be "a bit disappointing."
"It's a little less than the administration and perhaps [House] Speaker have said. I think when you stretch it out over three years, because the program does go further, you get closer to that number," he said.
Sinai said he doesn't necessarily think another stimulus will be necessary, adding that the economy is in the process of healing itself and could improve significantly in 6 to 12 months.
But Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com in New York says that as difficult as 2009 has been so far, the rest of the year could be worse. He adds that Americans should prepare for the likelihood that more stimulus legislation will be needed. "We are going to need more taxpayer7 money up front. I think that another stimulus package is a reasonable probability, given the way things are going," he said.
House Speaker Pelosi agreed, saying Congress and the Obama administration must keep the door open to additional steps, even as the current stimulus plan begins to work.
Pelosi responded again to criticisms from minority Republicans that the Obama administration and Congressional Democrats are creating permanent increases in government programs and spending. "It's very important that the message not be that we have raised the base line for spending. We have not. We have a stimulus which is targeted in a time frame to make the difference," he said.
Republican leaders continued those criticisms on Tuesday. Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia assailed8 Democratic priorities in dealing9 with the recession, and President Obama's budget proposals. "People are afraid because they see proposals being offered every day here to raise their taxes," he said.
New York Representative, Democrat3 Charles Rangel said he hopes Republicans will stop opposing actions the administration has taken. "This is not a partisan10 issue. It is a national issue that demands at least the involvement of Republicans and when you see a divided Congress, there are people that wonder and worry," he said.
Economist Rebecca Blank with the Brookings Institution here in Washington was optimistic that positive results will come from efforts to prevent more job losses and mortgage defaults. But she pointed11 to a bleak12 economic picture, saying recovery - when it does begin - will be slow. "Currently, 12 1/2 million people are unemployed13, and that is a lot of pain. And the bad news is it is going to get worse and we're not coming out of this fast. And particularly labor14 market numbers, [the] unemployment, and unemployment lags [behind] recovery - so even when an aggregate15 recovery starts, those numbers are not going to turn around immediately. They will be four to six months behind," she said.
House Financial Services Committee Chairman, Democrat Barney Frank expressed hope that steps taken so far will have a stimulative17 effect on the stock market. "I believe that what we are doing is very pro-market. We are dealing with some problems that the market faces today, and we are talking about putting in place in the future things that will help the market work better," he said.
Saying the difference between a sharp recession and a depression is a loss of faith, economist Mark Zandi said a restoration of confidence will be key to recovery. "That will be restored over the next few weeks [or] months as the policy efforts that have been put in place begin to take effect and people really see that it makes a difference. Right now, they just don't believe. And if they get some palpable signs of some improvement, I think things can turn [around] very quickly," he said.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs had no immediate16 reaction to the assessments18 Democrats received from the economists.
On the need for a second economic stimulus measure, Gibbs would only point to recent statistics, including unemployment numbers, saying they provide "a sobering reminder19" of the many economic challenges Americans face.
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1
economist
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| n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人 | |
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economists
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| n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 ) | |
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democrat
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员 | |
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democrats
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| n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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mar
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| vt.破坏，毁坏，弄糟 | |
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taxpayer
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| n.纳税人 | |
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assailed
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| v.攻击( assail的过去式和过去分词 )；困扰；质问；毅然应对 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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partisan
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| adj.党派性的；游击队的；n.游击队员；党徒 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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unemployed
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| adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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stimulative
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| n.刺激，促进因素adj.刺激的，激励的，促进的 | |
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assessments
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| n.评估( assessment的名词复数 )；评价；（应偿付金额的）估定；（为征税对财产所作的）估价 | |
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reminder
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| n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示 | |
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