奥巴马每周电视讲话:我们要加快步伐

 　　华盛顿：在本周的讲话中，拜登副总统称本月的就业数据显示国会必须马上通过《美国就业法案》以巩固经济并创造就业。国会的共和党人对该法案的部分条款——如让教师和消防员重返工作岗位——投了反对票，同时他们还一致反对重建我们破损的基础设施，为40万建筑工人提供工作岗位的提案，而这些方案在过去都得到过他们的支持。在国会没有实际行动的条件下总统先生一直在帮助退伍军人就业，通过重新贷款为家庭节省了数千美元资金，为学生减少助学贷款压力，但这些远远不够。民主党人和共和党人都必须团结起来，尽快通过《美国就业法案》以巩固我们的经济，因为美国人民已经没有时间再等下去了。

　　大家好，我是乔·拜登。我在匹兹堡大学向大家发表演讲，我刚刚为这里的同学们发表了演讲。谈论的主题包括面对不断增长的学费和不断积累的助学贷款债务，我们为减轻他们的压力而做的努力，还有当他们毕业后我们将如何帮助他们就业。
　　今天，我们知道连续20个月我们私营部门的就业数据一直在增长——本月是10.4万，10.4万个私营部门就业岗位。但大家都知道，这还远远不够。我们还需要加快步伐。我们现在要尽一切努力来保持经济和就业岗位的持续增长。
　　奥巴马总统正在从法国回来的路上，在那里他与G20的领导人们会面，并敦促我们的欧洲伙伴们加快进度保持他们的经济体的稳定，因为如果他们失败了，全球经济都要受到影响。
　　有太多的美国人民还在挣扎。有太多匹兹堡大学以及全国各地大学的学生们还在为不断上涨的学费和积累的债务而担忧。有太多他们的父母还在不太景气的岗位上甚至没有工作，父母们都不知道下个学期还能不能让孩子们重返校园。
　　我父亲曾有句口头禅。他说：“一份工作要远远胜过一份薪资。”这关系到人的尊严。关系到能否受人尊重。
　　而当下却有太多美国人被剥夺了尊严，而他们自己并没有错。因此，我们必须帮助他们，不能再等待。总统先生和我都认为必须马上行动。这也是我们为什么提出就业法案的原因，独立观察人士认为该法案将带来200万新的就业岗位。
　　尽管51位参议员通过了该法案，但参议院里的共和党同事却利用程序要求有60票赞成才行，所以该法案未能通过。
　　自那时起，我们便把就业法案中的重要部分单独拿出来投票。但到现在为止参议院的共和党同事们却一致反对每一个部分：为教师、警察和消防员提供40万就业岗位，让他们重返教室、街头以及着火现场的提案。
　　而接着在星期三，他们又一致反对我们计划中的第二部分：重建我们破损的道路和桥梁，这将增加40多万薪资良好的就业岗位。
　　这些计划都是过去共和党都支持的，但这次，每个共和党人都投了反对票——阻挠大多数人都想让人民重返工作岗位的良好愿望。
　　我想他们投反对票的可能原因就是我们为这些岗位支付工资的方式，的确我们要为他们支付工资。每个人都应当承担自己应承担的份额，因此，我们向收入超过100万美元的人征收附加税。这对我们来说比较公平，这样就可以为该法案提供资金。这样让数十万人重返工作岗位付出的代价比较小。
　　因此，我们不能再等。我们不能等到国会开始意识到自己的责任，这也是为什么总统先生已经利用他的行政权力宣布数十万人可以将利率从6%降低到4%重新申请房屋抵押贷款，这样每年可以节约2000美元。这也是为什么总统先生宣布从明年开始，对于助学贷款债务，再也没有一个学生的每月偿还额会超过自己可自由支配收入的10%。他还宣布了新的关于处方药的管理规定以避免价格欺诈。而且后续还有更多措施。
　　如果国会的共和党人不愿与我们一道，我们将继续承担我们的责任，竭尽所能为美国人民带来改变，减轻中产家庭的负担，为他们带去所渴望的东西。
　　道理很简单：我们拒绝说不。我们知道单靠采取的这些措施还不能完全解决我们的问题，但对于苦苦支撑的数百万美国家庭而言却可以带来一些变化。你们知道，我也知道，如果共和党能让国会完成自己的工作，让它加快进度，履行自己的职责，我们将能做更多的事情，而且马上就可以做。
　　这也是为什么总统先生和我都需要你们的帮助来告诉你们的共和党国会议员以及参议员们加快行动。告诉他们别再担心他们自己的饭碗，也要考虑下你们的饭碗，因为我们都是一起的，团结才能让美国比以前更加强大。
　　谢谢!
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　　WEEKLY ADDRESS: "We Have to Increase the Pace"
　　WASHINGTON—In this week’s address, Vice 1 President  Biden noted 2 that this month’s jobs numbers demonstrated that Congress should  pass the American Jobs Act to strengthen our economy and create jobs right  away.  Republicans in Congress have  voted against components 3 of the bill to put teachers and firefighters back to  work and they have unanimously opposed a bill to rebuild our crumbling 4  infrastructure and create jobs for 400,000 construction workers, even though  these are the kinds of programs they have supported in the past.  The President is acting 5 without Congress  through executive actions to help our veterans find jobs, save families  thousands of dollars by refinancing their mortgages, and reducing the cost of  student loans, but that is not enough.   Democrats 6 and Republicans must come together to pass the American Jobs  Act to strengthen the economy, because the American people can’t wait any  longer for Congress to act.
　　Hi, this is Joe  Biden.  I’m speaking to you from the  University of Pittsburgh, where I just spoke 7 to students here about what  we’ve done to help ease the burden on them when it comes to the rising cost  of tuition and the accumulating student debt and what we’re going to do to  help create jobs when they graduate.
　　Today we found  out we’ve had the 20th month in a row where we’ve increased private sector 8  jobs -- 104,000 this month, 104,000 private sector jobs.  And as all you know, that's not nearly  enough.  We have to increase the  pace.  We have to act now to do  everything in our power to keep this economy moving and to grow jobs.
　　President Obama  is on his way back from France where he just met with the leaders of the 20  largest economies in the world, where he urged our European friends to step  up and stabilize 9 their own economies because if they fail, it will affect the  whole world.
　　Too many  Americans are still struggling.  Too  many college students here at the University of Pittsburgh and elsewhere are  worrying about the rising cost of their tuition, and the increasing  accumulation of debt.  And too many of  their parents are in stagnant 10 jobs or out of work, wondering if they're going  to be able to send their child back to college next semester.
　　My dad used to  have a saying.  He said, a job is about  a lot more than a paycheck.  It’s about  dignity.  It’s about respect.
　　And too many  Americans have been stripped of their dignity through no fault of their  own.  So we can't wait to help  them.  The President and I believe we  have to act now.  That's why we’ve  introduced the jobs bill which independent validators said would create 2  million new jobs.
　　Although 51  senators voted for that jobs bill, our Republican colleagues in the Senate  used a procedural requirement that requires it to have 60 votes, so it  failed.
　　And since then  we’ve taken every important piece of the jobs bill and demanded that we have  a separate vote.  But our Republican  colleagues in the Senate have voted unanimously to vote down each and every  part so far:  to restore 400,000 jobs  for teachers, police officers, firefighters, putting them back in classrooms,  on the streets and in the fire houses.
　　And then on  Thursday, they unanimously voted down the second part of our program:  to rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges,  which would have created more than 400,000 good-paying jobs.
　　These are all  programs that the Republicans in the past have supported, but once again,  every Republican voted no -- blocking the majority will to put these folks  back to work.
　　I think the  assumption is that they're voting no because of the way we would pay for  these jobs, and we do pay for them.  We  think everybody should pay their fair share, so that's why we put a small  surtax on the first dollar after a person has already made $1 million.  That seems fair to us, and it pays for the  bill.  It’s a small price to pay to put  hundreds of thousands of people back to work.
　　So, look, we  can't wait.  We can't wait for the  Congress to start acting responsibly, and that's why the President has used  his executive power to announce that hundreds of thousands of people will be  able to refinance their homes from 6 percent interest rates to 4 percent,  saving them an average of $2,000 a year.   That's why the President announced that beginning next year, no  student will have to pay back more than 10 percent of their discretionary  income toward their student debt.  He  also announced new regulations regarding prescription 11 drugs to prevent price  gouging.  And there’s more to come.
　　If the  Republican Congress won’t join us, we’re going to continue to act on our own  to make the changes that we can to bring relief to middle-class families and  those aspiring 12 to get in the middle class.
　　Look, it’s  simple:  We refuse to take no for an  answer.  We know these steps taken  alone are not going to solve all of our problems, but they will make a  difference in the lives of millions of American families struggling to hold  on.  And you know and I know if the  Republicans would just let the Congress do its job, let it step up and meet  its responsibilities, we could do so much more, and we could do it  immediately.
　　That's why the  President and I need your help to tell your Republican congressmen and  senators to step up.  Tell them to stop  worrying about their jobs and start worrying about yours because we’re all in  this together, and together is the way we’re going to bring America back even  stronger than it was before.
　　Thank you.