=====精彩回顧=====
President Obama Makes a Statement on the Fiscal Cliff
奧巴馬就財政懸崖發表講話
Good afternoon, everybody. Over the last few weeks I’ve been working with leaders of both parties on a proposal to get our deficit under control, avoid tax cuts — or avoid tax hikes on the middle class, and to make sure that we can spur jobs and economic growth — a balanced proposal that cuts spending but also asks the wealthiest Americans to pay more; a proposal that will strengthen the middle class over the long haul and grow our economy over the long haul.
各位下午好 。在過去幾周,我與兩黨領導人就控制財政赤字、避免減稅或避免對中產階級征稅提出議案,以確保能刺激就業,增長經濟——所提出的議案權衡各方面,即要削減開支,又要求美國最富有的人群繳納更多的稅收,從長遠而言,將鞏固中產階級,發展我國的經濟 。
During the course of these negotiations, I offered to compromise with Republicans in Congress. I met them halfway on taxes, and I met them more than halfway on spending. And in terms of actual dollar amounts, we’re not that far apart.
在談判的進程中,我愿意在國會向共和黨做出妥協 。在稅收問題上我做出了部分讓步,在開支問題上,我做了大部分讓步 。但就實際金額而言,相差并不是很大 。
As of today, I am still ready and willing to get a comprehensive package done. I still believe that reducing our deficit is the right thing to do for the long-term health of our economy and the confidence of our businesses. I remain committed to working towards that goal, whether it happens all at once or whether it happens in several different steps.
截至今天,我仍然準備并計劃實施一個綜合的方案 。我仍然相信,為了經濟長遠健康發展,為了樹立企業信心,削減財政赤字仍是我們要做的正確事情 。我將繼續致力于這個目標,無論是一步到位,還是分步進行 。
But in 10 days, we face a deadline. In 10 days, under current law, tax rates are scheduled to rise on most Americans. And even though Democrats and Republicans are arguing about whether those rates should go up for the wealthiest individuals, all of us — every single one of us — agrees that tax rates shouldn’t go up for the other 98 percent of Americans, which includes 97 percent of small businesses. Every member of Congress believes that. Every Democrat, every Republican. So there is absolutely no reason — none — not to protect these Americans from a tax hike. At the very least, let’s agree right now on what we already agree on. Let’s get that done.
但是我們快到期限了,只剩十天了 。在這十天內,根據現行法律大部分美國人將面臨稅率增加 。盡管民主黨和共和黨就是否應對最富有的個人增稅爭論不休,但我們每個人都同意,不應該向其它98%的美國人增稅,其中包括97%的小企業 。國會里每個人都確信這點,無論民主黨,還是共和黨 。所以,絕對沒有理由,沒有任何理由對這些美國人增稅 。至少,讓我們現在已達成的共識,讓我們行動起來 。
I just spoke to Speaker Boehner and I also met with Senator Reid. In the next few days, I’ve asked leaders of Congress to work towards a package that prevents a tax hike on middle-class Americans, protects unemployment insurance for 2 million Americans, and lays the groundwork for further work on both growth and deficit reduction. That’s an achievable goal. That can get done in 10 days.
我剛剛和博納議長進行了會談,也會見了參議員里德 。在接下來的幾天里,我要求國會領導人努力制定這樣的方案,既要防止對美國中產階級征稅,保護200萬美國人的失業保險,又要為進一步經濟增長,赤字削減奠定基礎 。這是一個可以實現的目標,可以在10天內完成 。
Once this legislation is agreed to, I expect Democrats and Republicans to get back to Washington and have it pass both chambers. And I will immediately sign that legislation into law, before January 1st of next year. It’s that simple.
這項立法一旦同意,我希望民主黨和共和黨人回到華盛頓,兩院共同通過它 。在明年1月1日前,我將立即簽署這項法案成為法律,就這么簡單 。
Averting this middle-class tax hike is not a Democratic responsibility or a Republican responsibility. With their votes, the American people have determined that governing is a shared responsibility between both parties. In this Congress, laws can only pass with support from Democrats and Republicans. And that means nobody gets 100 percent of what they want. Everybody has got to give a little bit, in a sensible way. We move forward together, or we don’t move forward at all.
避免對中產階級增稅并不單是民主黨的責任或共和黨的責任 。通過他們的選票,美國人民明白治理是兩黨共同的責任 。在國會上,只有共和黨和民主黨都同意,法律才能通過 。這就意味著沒有人能完全得到他們想要的東西 。每個人都應以明智的方式貢獻一點 。我們要么共同前行,否則原地不動 。