VOA双语新闻 Political Battle Over US Pension Reform

The political battle over President Bush's plan to revamp the U.S. government pension system known as Social Security is expected to intensify¹ over the next few weeks.

有关布什总统提出的修改政府退休制度，也就是社会安全制度的政治斗争，预期在未来几个星期将会更加激烈。

President Bush is about half way through a 60-day effort to build public support for his proposal to reform the government pension program known as Social Security.

布什总统以60天时间为他提议的社安制度的改革寻求公众支持，目前已经过了一半的时间。

Among his most recent stops was the Midwest state of Iowa, which has a large proportion of elderly residents. "I am talking about Social Security because I see a problem, and I believe the job of the president is to confront problems and not pass them on to future presidents or future Congress'. That is what I think you elected me for," he said.

布什最近在中西部的爱奥华州，老年居民在爱奥华州占很大比例。布什说：“我现在考虑社安制度，因为我看到存在的问题。我认为，总统的工作是解决问题，而不是把问题留给将来的总统或者国会。我想这也是你们投票选我的原因。”

The centerpiece of the president's plan is a proposal to allow younger workers to divert some of the taxes they pay toward their pensions into private retirement² accounts that could be invested in the stock market.

布什总统改革计划的主要内容是，让较年轻的职工把他们所交的部分社安税投放在私人退休帐户中，这个私人退休帐户可以在股票市场上投资。

But Democrats³ appear united in their opposition⁴ to the Bush plan, and that opposition could intensify as Congress returns to work after a two-week Easter recess⁵.

但是，民主党议员一致反对布什的这个方案，在国会结束两星期的复活节休会之后，反对声浪可能会更加强烈。

Democrats have enlisted⁶ a wide range of special interest groups to lobby against the proposal, including labor⁷ unions and retiree organizations.

民主党派已经鼓动很多特别利益团体游说反对这个提案，这些团体包括工会和退休人士组织。

Richard Trumka is secretary-treasurer of one of the nation's largest labor organizations, the AFL-CIO. He recently spoke⁸ out against the president's Social Security plan on the C-SPAN public affairs television network.

特拉姆卡是美国一个最大的劳工团体劳联产联的财政负责人。他最近在C-SPAN公共事务电视网的节目中表示反对布什总统的社安制度改革方案。

"First of all, there is no crisis in Social Security. We have time to study this, and so it is much more important for us to think about this and get it right, than it is to try to rush through some kind of solution," he said.

特拉姆卡说：“首先，社安制度不存在什么危机。我们有时间对此进行研究，因此，我们应该做的更重要的是对社安制度做出思考，纠正问题，而不是匆忙制定解决方案。

Concern over the president's plan is not limited to Democrats. Some Republicans are nervous about public opinion polls that suggest growing majorities disapprove⁹ of the president's approach to Social Security, even as he campaigns on the issue around the country.

对布什总统的方案有顾虑的不仅仅是民主党人士，一些共和党人对民意调查的结果感到担心。民意调查显示，不认同布什总统解决社安制度方案的人越来越多，即使布什正在为他的方案在全国各地争取支持。

Given the poll numbers, some political experts say the time may have come for the administration to consider a compromise.

根据民意调查结果，有些政治分析人士说，布什政府现在到了考虑妥协方案的时候了。

Larry Sabato is director of the Center For Politics at the University of Virginia. He compares President Bush's struggle for pension reform to former President Clinton's efforts to revamp health care in the mid-1990s.

维吉尼亚大学政治中心主任萨巴托把布什努力改革社安制度和前总统克林顿在1990年代中期改革健保系统做出比较。

"Bill Clinton got nothing at all after putting all his marbles [political capital] into the health care basket [reform proposal]. The same thing could happen to George Bush, if the White House does not, in the very near future, move towards some kind of compromise on Social Security," he said.

“克林顿把他所有的政治资本都投入到健保改革方案之中，结果是一无所获。如果白宫不尽快在社安制度问题上寻求某种妥协，布什可能会得到和当年克林顿同样的结局。”

Despite the concerns, White House officials insist the president is determined¹⁰ to press for Social Security reform this year. They also cite public opinion polls that indicate the president has succeeded in raising awareness¹¹ about the uncertain financial future of the Social Security program.

虽然存在这种种顾虑，但是白宫官员坚持说，布什总统还是决心在今年推动社安制度的改革。他们引用民意调查的结果说，布什的成功在于，他让公众越来越多地认识到社安制度前途未卜。
 

1 intensify   

vt.加强；变强；加剧

参考例句：

• We must intensify our educational work among our own troops.我们必须加强自己部队的教育工作。
• They were ordered to intensify their patrols to protect our air space.他们奉命加强巡逻，保卫我国的领空。

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 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 recess   

n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处）

参考例句：

• The chairman of the meeting announced a ten-minute recess.会议主席宣布休会10分钟。
• Parliament was hastily recalled from recess.休会的议员被匆匆召回开会。

6 enlisted   

adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持）

参考例句：

• enlisted men and women 男兵和女兵
• He enlisted with the air force to fight against the enemy. 他应募加入空军对敌作战。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 labor   

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

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 disapprove   

v.不赞成，不同意，不批准

参考例句：

• I quite disapprove of his behaviour.我很不赞同他的行为。
• She wants to train for the theatre but her parents disapprove.她想训练自己做戏剧演员，但她的父母不赞成。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。