奥巴马总统每周电台演讲:总统表达祝福并在新一年里希望减少赤字

Hi, everybody.



嗨，各位好。



Over the past year, as I traveled across the country campaigning for this office, I told you that if I was fortunate enough to be re-elected, I'd work to change a tax code that too often benefited the wealthy at the expense of the middle class.



回顾过去的一年，我为竞选总统这一职位而奔波于全国各地的时候就曾经告诉你们如果我有幸连任，我要改变这一通常以中产阶级为代价而惠及富人的税法。



This week, we did that.



本周，我们履行了这一诺言。



For the first time in two decades, we raised taxes on the wealthiest 2% of Americans in a bipartisan way, while preventing a middle-class tax hike that could have thrown our economy back into recession.



这是二十多年来头一次，我们通过两党协商提高了2%最富有美国人的税率，同时还避免中产阶级遭受增税的冲击，以免我们再次重蹈经济危机的覆辙。



Under this law, more than 98% of Americans and 97% of small business will not see their income taxes go up one dime 1.



这项法律保证98%的美国人和97%的小企业的所得税不会增加一毛钱。



We also made sure that millions of families will continue to receive tax credits to help raise their children and send them to college.



我们还确保了成千上万的美国家庭继续得到减税待遇以帮助他们抚养孩子并送他们上大学。



Companies will continue to receive tax credits for the research they do, the investments they make, and the clean energy jobs they create.



公司也可继续享受减税，节省的钱可以用于他们进行的研究、投资及他们开创的清洁能源就业岗位。



And two million Americans who are out of work will continue to receive unemployment benefits so long as they are actively 2 looking for a job.



而且只要积极寻找工作，两百万失业的美国人可以继续享受失业保障。



But all this was just one more step in the broader effort to grow our economy and shrink our deficits 4.



但是这也仅仅是在促进经济增长及削减赤字的宏伟目标中的一小步。



We still need to do more to put Americans back to work while also putting this country on a path to pay down its debt.



我们还需要做得更多来让美国人民重返工作岗位，也让这个国家走上还得起债的道路。



And our economy can't afford more protracted 5 showdowns or manufactured crises along the way.



而我们的经济在这条道路上已经不堪承受拖延许久的较量或人为制造的危机。



Because even as our businesses created 2 million new jobs last year—including 168,000 new jobs last month—the messy brinksmanship in Congress made business owners more uncertain and consumers less confident.



因为即使我们的企业在过去一年里创造了两百万个新就业机会—包括上个月的168,000个新就业机会—但国会中混乱的边缘政策依旧没有给企业主们吃下丸的感觉，而且消费者们感到越来越没有信心。



We know there's a path forward.



我们明白出路就在眼前。



Last year, I signed into law $1.7 trillion in deficit 3 reduction.



去年，我签署了总计1.7万亿的赤字削减法案。



This week's action further reduces the deficit by $737 billion, making it one of the largest deficit reduction bills passed by Congress in over a decade.



本周的法案将进一步继续削减7370亿美元赤字，这也是国会十年来通过的最大额度赤字削减法案。



And I'm willing to do more.



而我还将做得更多。



I believe we can find more places to cut spending without shortchanging things like education, job training, research and technology all which are critical to our prosperity in a 21st century economy.



我相信我们可以找到更多领域削减开支，而不是削减教育、职业培训、科研和技术等这些都对我们在21世纪经济繁荣至关重要事业的开支。



But spending cuts must be balanced with more reforms to our tax code.



但削减支出必须与改革现有税法相平衡。



The wealthiest individuals and the biggest corporations shouldn't be able to take advantage of loopholes and deductions 6 that aren't available to most Americans.



最富有的个人和大型企业不应该利用大多数美国人无法利用的税法漏洞及条款。



And as I said earlier this week, one thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they 've already racked up.



正如我在本周早些时候所说，我绝不会妥协的一件事就是不管国会是否为他们取胜的法案买单。



If Congress refuses to give the United States the ability to pay its bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy could be catastrophic.



如果国会拒绝给美国及时还债的能力，其对全球经济的后果将是灾难性的。



The last time Congress threatened this course of action, our entire economy suffered for it.



国会上次以这种方式威胁时，我们的整个经济都遭了殃。



Our families and our businesses cannot afford that dangerous game again.



我们的家庭和企业都再也不能承受这一危险的游戏了。



I congratulate the newly sworn-in Members of Congress, and I look forward to working with the new Congress in a bipartisan way.



我向新当选的国会议员们表示祝贺，而我也期待着与新的国会以两党的方式继续合作。



If we focus on the interests of our country above the interests of party, I'm convinced we can cut spending and raise revenue in a manner that reduces our deficit and protects the middle class.



如果我们关注国家的利益而高于党派间的利益，我相信我们一定能以一种恰当的方式削减开支，减少财政赤字并保护中产阶级。



And we can step up to meet the important business that awaits us this year.



我们也能够大步向前面对今年等待我们完成的重任。



Creating jobs and boosting incomes.



扩大就业，增加收入。



Fixing our infrastructure 7 and our immigration system.



重修我们的基础设施、改善我们的移民体系，



Promoting our energy independence while protecting our planet from the harmful effects of climate change.



提高能源独立性并保护我们的星球免受气候变化带来的伤害。



Educating our children and shielding them from the horrors of gun violence.



教育我们的孩子们并保护他们免受枪支暴力的危害。



These aren't just things we should do—they're things we must do.



这些不是我们应该做的，而是我们必须做的。



And in this New Year, I'll fight as hard as I know how to get them done.



而值此新年之际，我将尽自己最大努力完成这些目标。



Happy New Year, everybody.



谢谢，祝你们大家新年快乐。