Let's face it: that belief has suffered some serious blows. Over more than three decades, even before the Great Recession hit, massive shifts in technology and global competition had eliminated a lot of good, middle-class jobs, and weakened the economic foundations that families depend on.
讓我們面對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí):這種信念遭受了一些嚴(yán)重的打擊。超過(guò)30年的時(shí)間里,甚至在經(jīng)濟(jì)大衰退之前,技術(shù)和全球競(jìng)爭(zhēng)的巨大變化已經(jīng)削減了中產(chǎn)階級(jí)的許多好的工作機(jī)會(huì),并削弱了中產(chǎn)家庭依賴的經(jīng)濟(jì)基礎(chǔ)。
Today, after four years of economic growth, corporate profits and stock prices have rarely been higher, and those at the top have never done better. But average wages have barely budged. Inequality has deepened. Upward mobility has stalled. The cold, hard fact is that even in the midst of recovery, too many Americans are working more than ever just to get by - let alone get ahead. And too many still aren't working at all.
現(xiàn)在,經(jīng)過(guò)4年的經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng),企業(yè)利潤(rùn)和股價(jià)均開(kāi)始上升,而那些身處高位的人從來(lái)沒(méi)有做的更好。平均工資卻幾乎沒(méi)有變化。社會(huì)不平等加深,向上流動(dòng)幾近停滯。冰冷而又無(wú)法回避的事實(shí)是,即使是在復(fù)蘇之中,太多的美國(guó)人還是在勉強(qiáng)度日,更不用說(shuō)出人頭地。還有許多人仍然沒(méi)有工作。
Our job is to reverse these trends. It won't happen right away, and we won't agree on everything. But what I offer tonight is a set of concrete, practical proposals to speed up growth, strengthen the middle class, and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class. Some require congressional action, and I'm eager to work with all of you. But America does not stand still - and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that's what I'm going to do.
我們的工作就是要扭轉(zhuǎn)這些趨勢(shì)。雖然局勢(shì)不會(huì)馬上好轉(zhuǎn),我們也不會(huì)就所有事情達(dá)成一致。但是,我今晚提出的是一組促進(jìn)增長(zhǎng)、壯大中產(chǎn)階級(jí)的具體實(shí)際的方案。有些需要國(guó)會(huì)采取行動(dòng),我渴望與大家合作。不過(guò),美國(guó)不會(huì)停滯不前,我也不會(huì)。所以無(wú)論何時(shí)何地,我都要采取不必立法的措施去為更多美國(guó)家庭擴(kuò)大機(jī)會(huì),這就是我要做的。
As usual, our first lady sets a good example. Michelle's Let's Move partnership with schools, businesses, and local leaders has helped bring down childhood obesity rates for the first time in thirty years - an achievement that will improve lives and reduce health care costs for decades to come. The Joining Forces alliance that Michelle and Jill Biden launched has already encouraged employers to hire or train nearly 400,000 veterans and military spouses. Taking a page from that playbook, the White House just organized a College Opportunity Summit where already, 150 universities, businesses, and nonprofits have made concrete commitments to reduce inequality in access to higher education - and help every hardworking kid go to college and succeed when they get to campus. Across the country, we're partnering with mayors, governors and state legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality.
像往常一樣,我們的第一夫人就是一個(gè)范例。米歇爾的“讓我們繼續(xù)前進(jìn)”活動(dòng)與學(xué)校、企業(yè)和地方領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人合作,30年來(lái)第一次降低了兒童肥胖率 。這一成就將改善他們的生活質(zhì)量,并降低未來(lái)幾十年的醫(yī)療成本。米歇爾和副總統(tǒng)拜登推出的“聯(lián)合力量(Joining Forces)”活動(dòng)已經(jīng)鼓勵(lì)雇主雇用或培訓(xùn)近40萬(wàn)名退伍軍人及其配偶。比如,白宮剛剛舉辦了“大學(xué)教育峰會(huì)”, 會(huì)議期間,150所大學(xué)、企業(yè)和非營(yíng)利組織已作出具體承諾,以減少接受高等教育的不均等狀況, 幫助每一個(gè)勤奮的孩子去上大學(xué),確保他們上大學(xué)后能夠獲得成功。在全國(guó)范圍內(nèi),我們正在與市長(zhǎng)、州長(zhǎng)和州議員合作解決從無(wú)家可歸到婚姻平等的問(wèn)題。
The point is, there are millions of Americans outside Washington who are tired of stale political arguments, and are moving this country forward. They believe, and I believe, that here in America, our success should depend not on accident of birth, but the strength of our work ethic and the scope of our dreams. That's what drew our forebears here. It's how the daughter of a factory worker is CEO of America's largest automaker; how the son of a barkeeper is speaker of the House; how the son of a single mom can be president of the greatest nation on Earth.
問(wèn)題的關(guān)鍵是,在華盛頓之外有成千上萬(wàn)的美國(guó)人厭倦了陳腐的政治爭(zhēng)論,正是他們?cè)谕七M(jìn)這個(gè)國(guó)家前行。他們相信,我也相信,在這里,在美國(guó),我們的成功不應(yīng)取決于出身,而是要依賴于我們的工作倫理和我們的夢(mèng)想。這正是吸引我們祖先之所在。這就是一個(gè)工人的女兒如何成為美國(guó)最大的汽車(chē)制造商的CEO 的原因,也是一個(gè)酒吧老板的兒子怎么成為眾議院議長(zhǎng),一個(gè)單身母親的兒子又如何成為地球上最偉大國(guó)家總統(tǒng)之所在。
Opportunity is who we are. And the defining project of our generation is to restore that promise.
機(jī)會(huì)屬于我們自己。而我們這一代人的目標(biāo)就是恢復(fù)這一承諾。
We know where to start: the best measure of opportunity is access to a good job. With the economy picking up speed, companies say they intend to hire more people this year. And over half of big manufacturers say they're thinking of insourcing jobs from abroad.
我們知道從哪里開(kāi)始:促進(jìn)就業(yè)是創(chuàng)造機(jī)會(huì)的最佳措施。隨著經(jīng)濟(jì)增長(zhǎng),企業(yè)表示有意在這一年雇傭更多員工。超過(guò)半數(shù)的大型制造商表示正在考慮讓海外的就業(yè)崗位回歸美國(guó)。
So let's make that decision easier for more companies. Both Democrats and Republicans have argued that our tax code is riddled with wasteful, complicated loopholes that punish businesses investing here, and reward companies that keep profits abroad. Let's flip that equation. Let's work together to close those loopholes, end those incentives to ship jobs overseas, and lower tax rates for businesses that create jobs here at home.
那么,讓我們促使更多企業(yè)更輕松地做出這樣的決定吧。民主黨人和共和黨人都認(rèn)為,我們的稅法充滿復(fù)雜的漏洞,效率低下,使得在美國(guó)投資的企業(yè)受損,把利潤(rùn)留在國(guó)外的企業(yè)受益。讓我們扭轉(zhuǎn)這樣的局面。讓我們一起努力,填補(bǔ)這些漏洞,消除將就業(yè)包給海外的誘因。為了在這里,在祖國(guó)創(chuàng)造就業(yè)的企業(yè),讓我們降低稅率。
Moreover, we can take the money we save from this transition to tax reform to create jobs rebuilding our roads, upgrading our ports, unclogging our commutes - because in today's global economy, first-class jobs gravitate to first-class infrastructure. We'll need Congress to protect more than three million jobs by finishing transportation and waterways bills this summer. But I will act on my own to slash bureaucracy and streamline the permitting process for key projects, so we can get more construction workers on the job as fast as possible.
還有,我們?cè)诙愔聘母镏泄?jié)約的資金可以用于創(chuàng)造就業(yè)崗位,可以修路、升級(jí)港口、疏導(dǎo)交通。在今天的全球經(jīng)濟(jì)中,一流的基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施吸引一流的工作。我們需要國(guó)會(huì)今年夏天完成運(yùn)輸和水路法案,保護(hù)超過(guò)300萬(wàn)的就業(yè)崗位。而我會(huì)盡最大努力,消除官僚作風(fēng),使重要工程的審批程序更合理。這樣我們就能讓更多的建設(shè)者盡快走上崗位。
We also have the chance, right now, to beat other countries in the race for the next wave of high-tech manufacturing jobs. My administration has launched two hubs for high-tech manufacturing in Raleigh and Youngstown.
我們現(xiàn)在也有機(jī)會(huì)、有權(quán)利在下一輪高科技制造業(yè)崗位的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)中戰(zhàn)勝其他國(guó)家。我的政府已經(jīng)在羅利和揚(yáng)斯敦開(kāi)始運(yùn)行高科技制造業(yè)中心。