Obama, State Governors Discuss US Economy

    President Barack Obama met with a group of state governors from his Democratic Party on Friday, to discuss ways to boost the U.S. economy and deal with state budget crises(危机). The governors said they did not talk about the ongoing 1 budget furor 2 in the north central state of Wisconsin.

    President Obama and Vice 3 President Joe Biden hosted the Democratic（民主的） governors, as their Republican counterparts prepared to join them for this weekend’s annual meeting of the National Governors Association.

    This year’s gathering 4 of the leaders of the 50 states could be more contentious 5 than usual.

    Obama has blasted efforts by Wisconsin’s Republican governor to cut the state budget by limiting state workers’ rights to collective bargaining as an "assault" on labor 6 unions.

    And Republican governors and state legislators（立法者） have been trying to block some or all of Obama’s health care reform law from taking effect.

    After Friday’s meeting, Democratic Governor Jack 7 Markell, of the Eastern state of Delaware, said the president and the governors concentrated on ways to reduce unemployment.

    "I can tell you, in my conversations back at home, I have not had a single business person say to me that they want the federal government refighting the fights of the last two years about health care," said Markell. "What they want us focused on is, ‘What are we going to do to create jobs?"The Democratic governors said Obama had asked them to meet with business leaders in their states before coming to the White House, and relay their suggestions to him.

    Friday’s meeting took place as the Wisconsin state assembly considered legislation to reduce the collective bargaining rights of public employees. The legislation, proposed by Republican Governor Scott Walker, has led to more than a week of demonstrations 8 in the state capital, Madison.  Similar controversies 9 are brewing 10 in other central states.

    At the White House, Martin O’Malley, of the Eastern state of Maryland, said he and his fellow Democratic governors ignored the situation in Wisconsin when meeting with the president. "I think most of us see that as a distraction 11, really, from the most important work that we can do, which is creating jobs."White House spokesman Jay Carney addressed the state budget crises at Friday’s press briefing, saying only that bipartisan cooperation is vital.

    "Everybody needs to tighten 12 their belts. Everybody needs to sacrifice and work together to bring state budgets into balance, to bring stability to the fiscal 13 situations in the states, much as we need to work together at the federal level."Obama will host all the governors at a formal dinner Sunday night, and will meet with them on Monday.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑）