美国总统励志演讲稿

第一篇：美国总统励志演讲稿

hello, everybody!thank you.thank you.thank you, everybody.all right, everybody go ahead and have a seat.how is everybody doing today?(applause.)how about tim spicer?(applause.)i am here with students at wakefield high school in arlington, virginia.and we’ve got students tuning in from all across america, from kindergarten through 12th grade.and i am just so glad that all could join us today.and i want to thank wakefield for being such an outstanding host.give yourselves a big round of applause.(applause.)大家好！谢谢你们。谢谢你们。谢谢你们大家。好，大家请就坐。你们今天都好吗？（掌声）蒂姆·斯派塞（tim spicer）好吗？（掌声）我现在与弗吉尼亚州阿灵顿郡韦克菲尔德高中的学生们在一起。美国各地从小学预备班到中学12年级的学生正在收听收看。我很高兴大家今天都能参与。我还要感谢韦克菲尔德高中出色的组织安排。请为你们自己热烈鼓掌。（掌声）i know that for many of you, today is the first day of school.and for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous.i imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now--(applause)--with just one more year to go.and no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little bit longer this morning.我知道，今天是你们很多人开学的日子。对于进入小学预备班、初中或高中的学生，今天是你们来到新学校的第一天，心里可能有点紧张，这是可以理解的。我能想象有些毕业班学生现在感觉很不错——（掌声）——还有一年就毕业了。不论在哪个年级，你们有些人可能希望暑假更长一点，今天早上还能多睡一小会儿。i know that feeling.when i was young, my family lived overseas.i lived in indonesia for a few years.and my mother, she didn’t have the money to send me where all the american kids went to school, but she thought it was important for me to keep up with an american education.so she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, monday through friday.but because she had to go to work, the only time she could do it was at 4:30 in the morning.我了解这种感觉。我小时候，我们家生活在海外。我在印度尼西亚住了几年。我妈妈没有钱送我上其他美国孩子上的学校，但她认为必须让我接受美式教育。因此，她决定从周一到周五自己给我补课。不过她还要上班，所以只能在清晨四点半给我上课。你们可以想见，我不太情愿那么早起床。有很多次，我趴在餐桌上就睡着了。但每当我抱怨的时候，我妈妈都会那样地看我一眼，然后说：“小子，这对我也并不轻松。”（笑声）so i know that some of you are still adjusting to being back at school.but i’m here today because i have something important to discuss with you.i’m here because i want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.我知道你们有些人还在适应开学后的生活。但我今天来到这里是因为有重要的事情要和你们说。我来这里是要和你们谈谈你们的教育问题，以及在这个新学年对你们所有人的期望。now, i’ve given a lot of speeches about education.and i’ve talked about responsibility a lot.我做过很多次有关教育问题的演讲。我多次谈到过责任问题。i’ve talked about teachers’ responsibility for inspiring students and pushing you to learn.我谈到过教师激励学生并督促他们学习的责任。i’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and you get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the tv or with the xbox.我谈到过家长的责任，要确保你们走正路，完成家庭作业，不要整天坐在电视前或玩xbox游戏。i’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, and supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working, where students aren’t getting the opportunities that they deserve.我多次谈到过政府的责任，要制定高标准，支持教师和校长的工作，彻底改善不能为学生提供应有机会的、教育质量差的学校。but at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, the best schools in the world--and none of it will make a difference, none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities, unless you show up to those schools, unless you pay attention to those teachers, unless you listen to your parents and grandparents and other adults and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.that’s what i want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education.然而，即使我们拥有最敬业的教师，最尽力的家长和全世界最好的学校——如果你们大家不履行你们的责任，不到校上课，不专心听讲，不听家长、祖父祖母和其他大人的话，不付出取得成功所必须的勤奋努力，那么这一切都毫无用处，都无关紧要。这就是我今天讲话的重点：你们每个人对自己的教育应尽的责任。i want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.every single one of you has something that you’re good at.every single one of you has something to offer.and you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is.that’s the opportunity an education can provide.我首先要讲讲你们对自己应尽的责任。你们每个人都有自己的长处。你们每个人都能做出自己的贡献。你们对自己应尽的责任是发现自己的能力所在。而教育能够提供这样的机会。

你或许能成为一名出色的作家——甚至可能写书或在报纸上发表文章——但你可能要在完成那篇英文课的作文后才会发现自己的才华。你或许能成为一名创新者或发明家——甚至可能设计出新一代iphone或研制出新型药物或疫苗——但你可能要在完成科学课的实验后才会发现自己的才华。你或许能成为一名市长或参议员或最高法院的大法官——但你可能要在参加学生会的工作或辩论队后才会发现自己的才华。and no matter what you want to do with your life, i guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it.you want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? you want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? you’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers.you cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job.you’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.不论你的生活志向是什么，我敢肯定你必须上学读书才能实现它。你想当医生、教师或警官吗？你想当护士、建筑师、律师或军人吗？你必须接受良好的教育，才能从事上述任何一种职业。你不能指望辍学后能碰上个好工作。你必须接受培训，为之努力，为之学习。and this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future.what you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country.the future of america depends on you.what you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.这并非只对你个人的人生和未来意义重大。可以毫不夸大地说，教育给你带来的益处将决定这个国家的未来。美国的未来取决于你们。你们今日在校学习的知识将决定我们作为一个国家是否能够迎接我们未来所面临的最严峻挑战。

你们将需要利用你们通过自然科学和数学课程所学到的知识和解决问题的能力来治愈癌症、艾滋病及其他疾病，开发新的能源技术和保护我们的环境。你们将需要利用你们在历史学和社会学课堂上所获得的知识和独立思考能力来抗击贫困和解决无家可归问题，打击犯罪和消除歧视，使我们的国家更公平、更自由。你们将需要利用你们在所有课堂上培养的创造力和智慧来创办新公司，增加就业机会，振兴我们的经济。we need every single one of you to develop your talents and your skills and your intellect so you can help us old folks solve our most difficult problems.if you don’t do that--if you quit on school--you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.我们需要你们每个人发挥你们的聪明才智和技能，以便帮助老一辈人解决我们面临的最棘手问题。如果你们不这样做，如果你们辍学，你们不仅仅是自暴自弃，也是抛弃自己的国家。now, i know it’s not always easy to do well in school.i know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.我自然知道要做到学业优秀并非总是易事。我知道你们许多人在生活中面临挑战，难以集中精力从事学业。i get it.i know what it’s like.my father left my family when i was two years old, and i was raised by a single mom who had to work and who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us the things that other kids had.there were times when i missed having a father in my life.there were times when i was lonely and i felt like i didn’t fit in.我明白这一点。我有亲身感受。两岁时，我父亲离家而去，我是由一位单亲母亲抚养成人的，母亲不得不工作，并时常为支付生活费用而苦苦挣扎，但有时仍无法为我们提供其他孩子享有的东西。有时，我渴望生活中能有一位父亲。有时我感到孤独，感到自己不适应社会。so i wasn’t always as focused as i should have been on school, and i did some things i’m not proud of, and i got in more trouble than i should have.and my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.我并非总是像我应该做到的那样专心学习，我也曾做过我如今不能引以为豪的一些事情，我曾惹过不应该惹的麻烦。我的人生原本会轻易陷入更糟糕的境地。but i was--i was lucky.i got a lot of second chances, and i had the opportunity to go to college and law school and follow my dreams.my wife, our first lady michelle obama, she has a similar story.neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have a lot of money.but they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.但是，我当年际遇不错。我有过许多第二次机会，我有幸能上大学，上法学院，追求自己的理想。我的妻子，我们的第一夫人米歇尔?奥巴马，也有着类似的经历。她的父母都未曾上过大学，家里很穷。但他们非常勤奋，她也是如此，因此她得以进入一些美国最好的学校。some of you might not have those advantages.maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need.maybe someone in your family has lost their job and there’s not enough money to go around.maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.你们中有一些人可能没有那些有利条件。或许你们生活中没有成年人为你们提供你们所需要篇二：美国总统演讲稿 remarks of president barack obama weekly address san diego, california saturday, november 19, 2011 today, i’m speaking to you from indonesia as i finish up my trip to the asia pacific – the regionwhere we do most of our trade and sell most of our exports.and over the past week, theprogress we’ve made in opening markets and boosting exports here will help create more jobs andmore growth in the united states.– a goal we’reon pace to meet.and they’re powerful examples of how we can rebuild an economy that’sfocused on what our country has always done best – making and selling products all over theworld that are stamped with three proud words: “made in america.” this is important, because over the last decade, we became a country that relied too much onwhat we bought and consumed.we racked up a lot of debt, but we didn’t create many jobs atall.but building an economy that lasts isn’t just about making things – it’s about opening new marketsfor people to buy them.after all, 95% of the world’s consumers live outside our borders.and asthe fastest-growing region in the world, no market is more important to our economic future thanthe asia pacific region – a region where our exports already support five million american jobs.us trade agreement yet – a partnership withpacific nations that holds the potential for more exports and more jobs in a region of nearly threebillion consumers.美国总统奥巴马 2010 年开学励志演讲美国总统奥巴马开学演讲英语演讲稿。这是奥巴马第二次发表开学演讲。奥巴马 2009 年的演讲招来了许多批评和抵制。一些反对者指责称，奥巴马试图通过演讲向学生灌输政治 理念。部分媒体还批评奥巴马试图建立个人崇拜。在美国各地，也有许多家长向当地教育官 员表示抗议，一些家长甚至威胁在奥巴马演讲时把孩子离教室。有了去年的“教训”，今年 的总统开学演讲，白宫意强调这是一次“非政治活动”，而奥巴马本人也在演讲中回避政治 话题。thank you!hello!(applause.)thank you.thank you.well, hello,philadelphia!(applause.)and hello, masterman.(applause.)done that.be here.it is wonderful to see all of you.what a terrific introduction by kelly.give kelly a big round of applause.i was saying backstage that when i was in high school, i could not have(laughter.)i would have muffed it up somehow.so we are so proud and to all the students here, i’ thrilled to mof you and everything that you’ done.ve谢谢！你们好！（掌声。）谢谢。谢谢。你好，费城！（掌声。）你好，马斯特曼。见到你们真是太好了。kelly 的介绍真是太棒了。让我们对 kelly 报以热烈的掌声。在后台的时候我说，我上高中的时候我就做不这么好，我可能 会弄的一团糟。所以让我们为你和你做的一切自豪吧。站在这里我很激动。kelly 在奥巴马总统演讲前，一名叫 kelly 的学生做了演讲。backstage n.后台 muff v.笨拙地处理，将事情弄糟 thrilled a.激动的 we’ve got a couple introductions i want to make.mayor of philadelphia, michael nutter, is here.fattah is here.(applause.)(applause.)first of all, you’ve got the(applause.)theoutstanding governor of pennsylvania, ed rendell, in the house.(applause.)congressman chaka(applause.)the school 我想介绍1congresswoman allyson schwartz is here.(applause.)andyour own principal, marge neff, is here.superintendent, arlene ackerman, is here and doing a great job.the secretary of education, arne duncan, is here.(applause.)几个人。首先，来到这儿的有，杰出的宾夕法尼亚州州长，ed rendell。（掌声。）。你们的 费城市长，michael nutter。国会议员 fattah 和 allyson schwartz（掌声）校长 marge neff（掌声）。学校管理人 arlene ackerman 是这个学校的，并且为学（掌声）校做了很大的贡献。（掌声）。还有教育部秘书长 arne duncan。outstanding a.杰出的 congressman n.国会议员 principal n.校长 superintendent n.院长 and i am here.excited.(applause.)and i am thrilled to be here.i am just soi’ve heard such great things about what all of you are doing, both the 还有我。（掌声），我感到非常students and the teachers and th，你们中有些人在新学年会有些紧张。或许你刚从 小学升到初中，从初中升到高中，会担心，新的学年将会是什么样的呢。也许你 进入一所新的学校，不知道是否会喜欢这个学校，想着怎么来融入这个学校。或 许你到了高三年级，对整个的大学入学程序感到不安，比如申请那里的学校，能 不能支付上大学的费用等等。elementary school n.小学 figure out 想明白，弄清楚 fit in 融入，适应 afford to do 承担得起 and beyond all those concerns, i know a lot of you are also feeling the strain of some difficult times.afghanistan.you know what’s going on in the news and you also know you’ve read about the war in and3what’s going on in some of your own families.you hear about the recession that we’ ve been through.sometimes maybe you’ seeing the worries in your parents’ faces or sense it in their re voice.除此之外，我知道你们还有来自困难时期的压力。你们知道新闻 内容，知道你们一些家庭中发发生的事情。你们读过有关阿富汗战争的信息，听 说过我们经历过的经济不景气。有时你们还看到了双亲脸上挂着的忧虑，或从他 们的声音中感受到了这些。strain n.压力 so a lot of you as a consequence, because we’re going through a tough time a country, are having to act a lot older than you are.you got to be strong for your or maybe some of family while your brother or sister is serving overseas, or you’ve got to look after younger siblings while your mom is working that second shift.work.you who are little bit older, you’re taking on a part-time job while your dad’s out of 所以，因为我们国家面临困难时期，你们许多人的行为看上去比实 际年龄要大。姐姐哥哥在海外工作，你们会表现得坚强，或许妈妈去值第二班，你们就要照顾年幼的弟弟妹妹。或许你们有些人年长一点的，父亲失了业，你们 还要做兼职。as a consequence 结果，所以 tough time 困难时期【tough a.艰难的】 sibling n.兄弟姐妹，同胞 shift n.轮班 and that’s a lot to handle.it’s more than you should have to handle.and it may make you wonder at times what your own future will look like, whether you’re going to be able to succeed in school, whether you should maybe set your sights a little lower, scale back your dreams.有太多事情要做了，很多是你们不应该 做的。这让你们迷茫，不知道自己的未来会是什么样，在学校能不能取得好成绩，是不是应该把目光降低些，把理想放低些。handle v.处理，应对 scale back 缩减 but i came to masterman to tell all of you what i think you’re hearing from your principal and your superintendent, and from your parents and your teachers: nobody gets to write your destiny but you.your future is in your hands.your life4is what you make of it.and 【美国总统演讲】确保同工同酬 严惩工资歧视 weekly address: ensuring equal pay for equal work remarks of president barack obama weekly address the white house april 12, 2014 hi, everybody.earlier this week was equal pay day.it marks the extra time the average woman has to work into a new year to earn what a man earned the year before.you see, the average woman who works full-time in america earns less than a man –

even when she’s in the same profession and has the same education.thats wrong.in 2014, it’s an embarrassment.women deserve equal pay for equal work.this is an economic issue that affects all of us.women make up about half our workforce.and more and more, they’re our families’ main breadwinners.so it’s good for everyone when women are paid fairly.that’s why, this week, i took action to prohibit more businesses from punishing workers who discuss their salaries – because more pay transparency makes it easier to spot pay discrimination.and i hope more business leaders will take up this cause.but equal pay is just one part of an economic agenda for women.most lower-wage workers in america are women.so i’ve taken executive action to require federal contractors to pay their federally-funded employees at least ten dollars and ten cents an hour.i ordered a review of our nation’s overtime rules, to give more workers the chance to earn the overtime pay they deserve.thanks to the affordable care act, tens of millions of women are now guaranteed free preventive care like mammograms and contraceptive care, and the days when you could be charged more just for being a woman are over for good.across the country, we’re bringing americans together to help us make sure that a woman can have a baby without sacrificing her job, or take a day off to care for a sick child or parent without hitting hardship.it’s time to do away with workplace policies that belong in a “mad men” episode, and give every woman the opportunity she deserves.i’m going to keep fighting to make sure that doesn’t happen.because we do better when our economy grows for everybody, not just a few.and when women succeed, america succeeds.thanks, and have a great weekend.篇五：美国总统演讲稿——勤奋生活论

勤奋生活论

1899年4月10日于芝加哥

西奥多·罗斯福(1856—1919)，美国第26任总统(1901—1909)，作家，探险者和军事家。

我不打算宣讲安逸论，我要宣讲勤奋生活论，也就是操劳、勤勉、努力和奋斗的一生我要说，安逸平淡者的一生算不上圆满，只有不畏艰险劳苦终获辉煌胜利的人的一生才算得上成功。

贪图安逸的一生，由于不想或不能成就大事业而平淡无奇的一生，对个人、对民族来说都同样不值。一生苟且怕事的人我们不佩服。我们佩服的是经奋斗而成功的人；从来不会对不起邻人、及时向朋友伸援手的人，尤其佩服有阳刚之气经得起实际生活锻炼的人。失败的滋味固然不好受；从来不愿做成功的尝试却更糟。生活当中不努力就不会有成就。现在无需努力只表示过去已经累积了努力成果。人只有在自己或祖辈努力有成的情况下才有不工作的自由。如这样得来的自由运用得当，他还在做事，只是做不同的事，是作家或是将军，是从政或寻幽探险，都说明他对得起命运对他的厚爱。但如果他反以为这段无需工作期不是准备期而正好偷闲，那么他无非也就是这世上的寄生虫，有朝一日又得自食其力时肯定不如人。安安逸逸的一生说到底算不上充实，对很想在世上有一番严肃作为的人来说尤其不合适。个人如是，民族亦然。要说没有历史的民族最轻松愉快可就大错了。最快活的乃是有光辉灿烂历史的民族。敢于大胆尝试夺得光辉胜利，即便经历过挫败，也远比与在胜败之间的灰色领域浑浑噩噩过了一辈子既未曾惊喜亦不知苦难的人为伍要强。如若1861年热爱联邦者以为和平乃上上选、纷战乃下下策，并秉此而行，我们果然能少死千万人，少花千万元。尤有甚者，非但能省却当时流的血、花的钱，让多少妇女免于丧子丧夫之痛、家破人亡之苦；还可以摆脱我们在军队连连败退时全国上下被暗淡所笼罩的漫长蒙羞岁月。只要当时对鏖战望而怯步就可以回避这场苦难。其实，要真是回避了，我们倒成了弱者，没有资格并列世界大国之林。感谢上帝让我们的祖辈有铁血意 志，他们坚持林肯的智慧，与格兰特将军持剑荷枪而战!我们这些当年的志士豪杰之后，促使南北战争胜利结束的英雄的后代，让我们赞美我们先祖的上帝，因为他们拒不同意苟且求全的论调，而勇敢地在痛苦损失、悲痛绝望的情况下卓绝苦战多年；最后奴隶终得解放，联邦得以恢复，强大的美利坚共和国再次可以在国际上昂首挺胸„„ 凡畏缩、疏懒、不相信自己国家的人，谨小慎微丧失了斗志、挺不起腰杆子的人，无知混沌、无法像刚毅有为的人那样被振奋的人，凡是这样的人每见到国家有新的责任当前自然要望而怯步；不愿见到我们有足以应付需要的陆、海军；见到我们的士兵、水手在伟大美丽的热带岛屿上奋勇地撵走西班牙人，’承担起应有的世界责任，化混乱为秩序时也要望而怯步。这些人就是怕磨练，就是怕生活在一个有国格的国家之中；他们要的是让国无理想人无大志的安逸生涯；要不他们就是一味贪得图利之辈，以为国家的一切应以商业利益为依靠，却未能意识到商业利益诚然是不可或少的考虑因素，但只不过是使一个国家真正伟大的许多 因素之一。一个国家要想持久，它就必需有深厚的靠勤俭、经商、发展企业、刻苦经营工业而建立起来的物资财富；但还从来没有单靠物质财富就可以真正算得上伟大的国家。所以同胞们，我要讲的是为了国家我们不能好逸恶劳。即将到来的20世纪许多国家命运未卜。如果我们仅只袖手旁观，只贪图享乐安逸，只求太平无事，如果我们每逢身心考验便望风而逃，那么比较勇敢坚强的人就会赶超我们，得以称霸世界。因此让我们勇敢地面对生活中的考验，坚定负责地做好该做的事；坚持正义，言行一致；决心诚实勇敢地为崇高理想服务，并采纳切合实际的办法。最重要的是，不能在国内外有难、对我们身心有所求时裹足不前，当然首先我们得确定危难值得一战；因为只有通过危难、通过艰苦卓绝的努力才能让我们至终成为真正伟大的国家。

第二篇：美国总统演讲稿

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address The White House

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Hello.This week, I traveled across the country to talk about my all-of-the-above energy strategy for America – a strategy where we produce more oil and gas here at home, but also more biofuels and fuel-efficient cars;more solar power and wind power and other sources of clean, renewable energy.Now, you wouldn’t know it by listening to some of the folks running for office today, but producing more oil at home has been, and will continue to be, a key part of my energy strategy.Under my Administration, we’re producing more oil than at any other time in the last eight years.We’ve quadrupled the number of operating oil rigs to a record high.And we’ve added enough oil and gas pipeline to circle the entire Earth and then some.Those are the facts.But as I’ve been saying all week, even though America uses around 20 percent of the world’s oil, we only have around 2 percent of the world’s known oil reserves.So even if we drilled everywhere, we’d still be relying on other countries for oil.That’s why we’re pursuing an all-of-the-above strategy.We’re producing more biofuels.More fuel-efficient cars.More solar power.More wind power.This week, I was in Boulder City, Nevada, where they’ve got the largest solar plant of its kind anywhere in the country.That’s the future.I was at Ohio State University, where they’ve developed the fastest electric car in the world.That’s the future.I don’t want to cede these clean energy industries to China or Germany or any other country.I want to see solar panels and wind turbines and fuel-efficient cars manufactured right here in America, by American workers.Now, getting these clean energy industries to locate here requires us to maintain a national commitment to new research and development.But it also requires us to build world-class transportation and communications networks, so that any company can move goods and sell products all around the world as quickly and efficiently as possible.So much of America needs to be rebuilt right now.We’ve got crumbling roads and bridges.A power grid that wastes too much energy.An incomplete high-speed broadband network.And we’ve got thousands of unemployed construction workers who’ve been looking for a job ever since the housing market collapsed.But once again, we’re waiting on Congress.You see, in a matter of days, funding will stop for all sorts of transportation projects.Construction sites will go idle.Workers will have to go home.And our economy will take a hit.This Congress cannot let that happen.Not at a time when we should be doing everything in our power – Democrats and Republicans – to keep this recovery moving forward.The Senate did their part.They passed a bipartisan transportation bill.It had the support of 52 Democrats and 22 Republicans.Now it’s up to the House to follow suit;to put aside partisan posturing, end the gridlock, and do what’s right for the American people.This is common sense.Right now, all across this country, we’ve got contractors and construction workers who have never been more eager to get back on the job.A long term transportation bill would put them to work.And those are good jobs.We just released a report that shows nearly 90 percent of the construction, manufacturing and trade jobs created through investments in transportation projects are middle class jobs.Those are exactly the jobs we need right now, and they’ll make the economy stronger for everybody.We’ve done this before.During the Great Depression, America built the Hoover Dam and the Golden Gate Bridge.After World War II, we connected our states with a system of highways.Democratic and Republican administrations invested in great projects that benefited everybody, from the workers who built them to the businesses that still use them today.So tell Congress that if we invest in new technology and new energy;in new roads and bridges and construction projects, we can keep growing our economy, put our people back to work, and remind the world why the United States is the greatest nation on Earth.Thanks and have a great weekend.

第三篇：美国总统演讲稿

美国总统罗斯福就职演讲稿

President Hoover, Mr.Chief Justice, my friends:

This is a day of national consecration.And I am certain that on this day my fellow Americans expect that on my induction into the Presidency, I will address them with a candor and a decision which the present situation of our people impels.This is preeminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly.Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today.This great Nation will endure, as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself--nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.In every dark hour of our national life, a leadership of frankness and of vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves which is essential to victory.And I am convinced that you will again give that support to leadership in these critical days.In such a spirit on my part and on yours we face our common difficulties.They concern, thank God, only material things.Values have shrunk to fantastic levels;taxes have risen;our ability to pay has fallen;government of all kinds is faced by serious curtailment of income;the means of exchange are frozen in the currents of trade;the withered leaves of industrial enterprise lie on every side;farmers find no markets for their produce;and the savings of many years in thousands of families are gone.More important, a host of unemployed citizens face the grim problem of existence, and an equally great number toil with little return.Only a foolish optimist can deny the dark realities of the moment.And yet our distress comes from no failure of substance.We are stricken by no plague of locusts.Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered, because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for.Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it.Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed, through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failure, and have abdicated.Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.True, they have tried.But their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition.Faced by failure of credit, they have proposed only the lending of more money.Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored confidence.They only know the rules of a generation of self-seekers.They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.Yes, the money changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilization.We may now restore that temple to the ancient truths.The measure of that restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit.Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money;it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.The joy, the moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits.These dark days, my friends, will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves, to our fellow men.Recognition of that falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit;and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing.Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, and on unselfish performance;without them it cannot live.Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone.This Nation is asking for action, and action now.Our greatest primary task is to put people to work.This is no unsolvable problem if we face it wisely and courageously.It can be accomplished in part by direct recruiting by the Government itself, treating the task as we would treat the emergency of a war, but at the same time, through this employment, accomplishing great--greatly needed projects to stimulate and reorganize the use of our great natural resources.Hand in hand with that we must frankly recognize the overbalance of population in our industrial centers and, by engaging on a national scale in a redistribution, endeavor to provide a better use of the land for those best fitted for the land.Yes, the task can be helped by definite efforts to raise the values of agricultural products, and with this the power to purchase the output of our cities.It can be helped by preventing realistically the tragedy of the growing loss through foreclosure of our small homes and our farms.It can be helped by insistence that the Federal, the State, and the local governments act forthwith on the demand that their cost be drastically reduced.It can be helped by the unifying of relief activities which today are often scattered, uneconomical, unequal.It can be helped by national planning for and supervision of all forms of transportation and of communications and other utilities that have a definitely public character.There are many ways in which it can be helped, but it can never be helped by merely talking about it.We must act.We must act quickly.And finally, in our progress towards a resumption of work, we require two safeguards against a return of the evils of the old order.There must be a strict supervision of all banking and credits and investments.There must be an end to speculation with other people's money.And there must be provision for an adequate but sound currency.These, my friends, are the lines of attack.I shall presently urge upon a new Congress in special session detailed measures for their fulfillment, and I shall seek the immediate assistance of the 48 States.Through this program of action we address ourselves to putting our own national house in order and making income balance outgo.Our international trade relations, though vastly important, are in point of time, and necessity, secondary to the establishment of a sound national economy.I favor, as a practical policy, the putting of first things first.I shall spare no effort to restore world trade by international economic readjustment;but the emergency at home cannot wait on that accomplishment.The basic thought that guides these specific means of national recovery is not nationally--narrowly nationalistic.It is the insistence, as a first consideration, upon the interdependence of the various elements in and parts of the United States of America--a recognition of the old and permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer.It is the way to recovery.It is the immediate way.It is the strongest assurance that recovery will endure.In the field of world policy, I would dedicate this Nation to the policy of the good neighbor: the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others;the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a world of neighbors.If I read the temper of our people correctly, we now realize, as we have never realized before, our interdependence on each other;that we can not merely take, but we must give as well;that if we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline, because without such discipline no progress can be made, no leadership becomes effective.We are, I know, ready and willing to submit our lives and our property to such discipline, because it makes possible a leadership which aims at the larger good.This, I propose to offer, pledging that the larger purposes will bind upon us, bind upon us all as a sacred obligation with a unity of duty hitherto evoked only in times of armed strife.With this pledge taken, I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army of our people dedicated to a disciplined attack upon our common problems.Action in this image, action to this end is feasible under the form of government which we have inherited from our ancestors.Our Constitution is so simple, so practical that it is possible always to meet extraordinary needs by changes in emphasis and arrangement without loss of essential form.That is why our constitutional system has proved itself the most superbly enduring political mechanism the modern world has ever seen.It has met every stress of vast expansion of territory, of foreign wars, of bitter internal strife, of world relations.And it is to be hoped that the normal balance of executive and legislative authority may be wholly equal, wholly adequate to meet the unprecedented task before us.But it may be that an unprecedented demand and need for undelayed action may call for temporary departure from that normal balance of public procedure.I am prepared under my constitutional duty to recommend the measures that a stricken nation in the midst of a stricken world may require.These measures, or such other measures as the Congress may build out of its experience and wisdom, I shall seek, within my constitutional authority, to bring to speedy adoption.But, in the event that the Congress shall fail to take one of these two courses, in the event that the national emergency is still critical, I shall not evade the clear course of duty that will then confront me.I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis--broad Executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.For the trust reposed in me, I will return the courage and the devotion that befit the time.I can do no less.We face the arduous days that lie before us in the warm courage of national unity;with the clear consciousness of seeking old and precious moral values;with the clean satisfaction that comes from the stern performance of duty by old and young alike.We aim at the assurance of a rounded, a permanent national life.We do not distrust the--the future of essential democracy.The people of the United States have not failed.In their need they have registered a mandate that they want direct, vigorous action.They have asked for discipline and direction under leadership.They have made me the present instrument of their wishes.In the spirit of the gift I take it.In this dedication--In this dedication of a Nation, we humbly ask the blessing of God.May He protect each and every one of us.May He guide me in the days to come.美国总统罗斯福就职演讲稿（中文版）

胡佛总统，首席法官先生，朋友们：

今天，对我们的国家来说，是一个神圣的日子。我肯定，同胞们都期待我在就任总统时，会像我国目前形势所要求的那样，坦率而果断地向他们讲话。现在正是坦白、勇敢地说出实话，说出全部实话的最好时刻。我们不必畏首畏尾，不老老实实面对我国今天的情况。这个伟大的国家会一如既往地坚持下去，它会复兴和繁荣起来。因此，让我首先表明我的坚定信念：我们唯一不得不害怕的就是害怕本身--一种莫名其妙、丧失理智的、毫无根据的恐惧，它把人转退为进所需的种种努力化为泡影。凡在我国生活阴云密布的时刻，坦率而有活力的领导都得到过人民的理解和支持，从而为胜利准备了必不可少的条件。我相信，在目前危急时刻，大家会再次给予同样的支持。

我和你们都要以这种精神，来面对我们共同的困难。感谢上帝，这些困难只是物质方面的。价值难以想象地贬缩了；课税增加了；我们的支付能力下降了；各级政府面临着严重的收入短缺；交换手段在贸易过程中遭到了冻结；工业企业枯萎的落叶到处可见；农场主的产品找不到销路；千家万户多年的积蓄付之东流。

更重要的是，大批失业公民正面临严峻的生存问题，还有大批公民正以艰辛的劳动换取微薄的报酬。只有愚蠢的乐天派会否认当前这些阴暗的现实。

但是，我们的苦恼决不是因为缺乏物资。我们没有遭到什么蝗虫的灾害。我们的先辈曾以信念和无畏一次次转危为安，比起他们经历过的险阻，我们仍大可感到欣慰。大自然仍在给予我们恩惠，人类的努力已使之倍增。富足的情景近在咫尺，但就在我们见到这种 情景的时候，宽裕的生活却悄然离去。这主要是因为主宰人类物资交换的统治者们失败了，他们固执己见而又无能为力，因而已经认定失败了，并撒手不管了。贪得无厌的货币兑换商的种种行径。将受到舆论法庭的起诉，将受到人类心灵理智的唾弃。

是的，他们是努力过，然而他们用的是一种完全过时的方法。面对信贷的失败，他们只是提议借出更多的钱。没有了当诱饵引诱 人民追随他们的错误领导的金钱，他们只得求助于讲道，含泪祈求人民重新给予他们信心。他们只知自我追求者们的处世规则。他们没有眼光，而没有眼光的人是要灭亡的。

如今，货币兑换商已从我们文明庙宇的高处落荒而逃。我们要以千古不变的真理来重建这座庙宇。衡量这重建的尺度是我们体现比金钱利益更高尚的社会价值的程度。

幸福并不在于单纯地占有金钱；幸福还在于取得成就后的喜悦，在于创造努力时的激情。务必不能再忘记劳动带来的喜悦和激励，而去疯狂地追逐那转瞬即逝的利润。如果这些暗淡的时日能使我们认识到，我们真正的天命不是要别人侍奉，而是为自己和同胞们服务，那么，我们付出的代价就完全是值得的。

认识到把物质财富当作成功的标准是错误的，我们就会抛弃以地位尊严和个人收益为唯一标准，来衡量公职和高级政治地位的错误信念；我们必须制止银行界和企业界的一种行为，它常常使神圣的委托混同于无情和自私的不正当行为。难怪信心在减弱，信心，只有靠诚实、信誉、忠心维护和无私履行职责。而没有这些，就不可能有信心。

但是，复兴不仅仅只要改变伦理观念。这个国家要求行动起来，现在就行动起来。

我们最大、最基本的任务是让人民投入工作。只要我信行之以智慧和勇气，这个问题就可以解决。这可以部分由政府直接征募完成，就象对待临战的紧要关头一样，但同时，在有了人手的情况下，我们还急需能刺激并重组巨大自然资源的工程。

我们齐心协力，但必须坦白地承认工业中心的人口失衡，我们必须在全国范围内重新分配，使土地在最适合的人手中发表挥更大作用。

明确地为提高农产品价值并以此购买城市产品所做的努力，会有助于任务的完成。避免许多小家庭业、农场业被取消赎取抵押品的权利的悲剧也有助于任务的完成。联邦、州、各地政府立即行动回应要求降价的呼声，有助于任务的完成。将现在常常是分散不经济、不平等的救济活动统一起来有助于任务的完成。对所有公共交通运输，通讯及其他涉及公众生活的设施作全国性的计划及监督有助于任务的完成。许多事情都有助于任务完成，但这些决不包括空谈。我们必须行动，立即行动。

最后，为了重新开始工作，我们需要两手防御，来抗御旧秩序恶魔卷土从来；一定要有严格监督银行业、信贷及投资的机制：一定要杜绝投机；一定要有充足而健康的货币供应。

以上这些，朋友们，就是施政方针。我要在特别会议上敦促新国会给予详细实施方案，并且，我要向18个州请求立即的援助。

通过行动，我们将予以我们自己一个有秩序的国家大厦，使收入大于支出。我们的国际贸易，虽然很重要，但现在在时间和必要性上，次于对本国健康经济的建立。我建议，作为可行的策略、首要事务先行。虽然我将不遗余力通过国际经济重新协调所来恢复国际贸易，但我认为国内的紧急情况无法等待这重新协调的完成。

指导这一特别的全国性复苏的基本思想并非狭隘的国家主义。我首先考虑的是坚持美国这一整体中各部分的相互依赖性--这是对美国式的开拓精神的古老而永恒的证明的体现。这才是复苏之路，是即时之路，是保证复苏功效持久之路。

在国际政策方面，我将使美国采取睦邻友好的政策。做一个决心自重，因此而尊重邻国的国家。做一个履行义务，尊重与他国协约的国家。

如果我对人民的心情的了解正确的话，我想我们已认识到了我们从未认识的问题，我们是互相依存的，我们不可以只索取，我们还必须奉献。我们前进时，必须象一支训练有素的忠诚的军队，愿意为共同的原则而献身，因为，没有这些原则，就无法取得进步，领导就不可能得力。我们都已做好准备，并愿意为此原则献出生命和财产，因为这将使志在建设更美好社会的领导成为可能。我倡议，为了更伟大的目标，我们所有的人，以一致的职责紧紧团结起来。这是神圣的义务，非战乱，不停止。

有了这样的誓言，我将毫不犹豫地承担领导伟大人民大军的任务，致力于对我们普遍问题的强攻。这样的行动，这样的目标，在我们从祖先手中接过的政府中是可行的。我们的宪法如此简单，实在。它随时可以应付特殊情况，只需对重点和安排加以修改而不丧失中心思想，正因为如此，我们的宪法体制已自证为是最有适应性的政治体制。它已应付过巨大的国土扩张、外战、内乱及国际关系所带来的压力。

而我们还希望行使法律的人士做到充分的平等，能充分地担负前所未有的任务。但现在前所未有的对紧急行动的需要要求国民暂时丢弃平常生活节奏，紧迫起来。

让我们正视面前的严峻岁月，怀着举国一致给我们带来的热情和勇气，怀着寻求传统的、珍贵的道德观念的明确意识，怀着老老少少都能通过克尽职守而得到的问心无愧的满足。我们的目标是要保证国民生活的圆满和长治久安。

我们并不怀疑基本民主制度的未来。合众国人民并没有失败。他们在困难中表达了自己的委托，即要求采取直接而有力的行动。他们要求有领导的纪律和方向。他们现在选择了我作为实现他们的愿望的工具。我接受这份厚赠。

在此举国奉献之际，我们谦卑地请求上帝赐福。愿上帝保信我们大家和每一个人，愿上帝在未来的日子里指引我。

第四篇：美国总统就职演讲稿

美国总统就职演讲稿

参议院和众议院的同胞们：

在人生沉浮中，没有一件事能比本月14日收到根据你们的命令送达的通知更使我焦虑不安，一方面，国家召唤我出任此职，对于她的召唤，我永远只能肃然敬从；而隐退是我以挚爱心憎、满腔希望和坚定的决心选择的暮年归宿，由于爱好和习惯，且时光流逝，健康渐衰，时感体力不济，愈觉隐退之必要和可贵。另一方面，国家召唤我担负的责任如此重大和艰巨，足以使国内最有才智和经验的人度德量力，而我天资愚饨，又无民政管理的实践，理应倍觉自己能力之不足，因而必然感到难以肩此重任。怀着这种矛盾心情，我唯一敢断言的是，通过正确估计可能产生影响的各种情况来克尽厥职，乃是我忠贞不渝的努力目标。我唯一敢祈望的是，如果我在执行这项任务时因陶醉于往事，或因由衷感激公民们对我的高度信赖，因而受到过多影响，以致在处理从未经历过的大事时，忽视了自己的无能和消极，我的错误将会由于使我误人歧途的各种动机而减轻，而大家在评判错误的后果时；也会适当包涵产生这些动机的偏见。

我从这些高贵品格中看到了最可靠的保证：其一，任何地方偏见或地方感情，任何意见分歧或党派敌视，都不能使我们偏离全局观点和公平观点，即必须维护这个由不同地区和利益所组成的大联合；因此，其二，我国的政策将会以纯洁而坚定的个人道德原则为基础，而自由政府将会以那赢得民心和全世界尊敬的一切特点而显示其优越性。我对国家的一片热爱之心激励着我满怀喜悦地展望这幅远景，因为根据自然界的构成和发展趋势，在美德与幸福之间，责任与利益之间，恪守诚实宽厚的政策与获得社会繁荣幸福的硕果之间，有着密不可分的统一；因为我们应该同样相信，上帝亲自规定了水恒的秩序和权利法则，它决不可能对无视这些法则的国家慈祥地加以赞许；因为人们理所当然地、满怀深情地、也许是最后一次把维护神圣的自由之火和共和制政府的命运，系于美国人所遵命进行的实验上。

我已将有感于这一聚会场合的想法奉告各位，现在我就要向大家告辞；但在此以前，我要再一次以谦卑的心情祈求仁慈的上帝给予帮助。因为承蒙上帝的恩赐，美国人有了深思熟虑的机会，以及为确保联邦的安全和促进幸福，用前所未有的一致意见来决定政府体制的意向；因而，同样明显的是，上帝将保佑我们扩大眼界，心平气和地进行协商，并采取明智的措施，而这些都是本届政府取得成功所必不可少的依靠。

第五篇：美国总统每周演讲稿

Prepared Remarks of President

Barack

Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, August 27, 2011

In just two weeks, we’ll come together, as a nation, to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11th attacks.We’ll remember the innocent lives we lost.We’ll stand with the families who loved them.We’ll honor the heroic first responders who rushed to the scene and saved so many.And we’ll pay tribute to our troops and military families, and all those who have served over the past ten years, to keep us safe and strong.We’ll also recall how the worst terrorist attack in American history brought out the best in the American people.How Americans lined up to give blood.How volunteers drove across the country to lend a hand.How schoolchildren donated their savings.How communities, faith groups and businesses collected food and clothing.We were united, and the outpouring of generosity and compassion reminded us that in times of challenge, we Americans move forward together, as one people.This September 11th, Michelle and I will join the commemorations at Ground Zero, in Shanksville, and at the Pentagon.But even if you can’t be in New York, Pennsylvania or Virginia, every American can be part of this anniversary.Once again, 9/11 will be a National Day of Service and Remembrance.And in the days and weeks ahead, folks across the country—in all 50 states—will come together, in their communities and neighborhoods, to honor the victims of 9/11 and to reaffirm the strength of our nation with acts of service and charity.In Minneapolis, volunteers will help restore a community center.In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, they’ll hammer shingles and lay floors to give families a new home.In Tallahassee, Florida, they’ll assemble care packages for our troops overseas and their families here at home.In Orange County, California, they’ll renovate homes for our veterans.And once again, Michelle and I look forward to joining a local service project as well.There are so many ways to get involved, and every American can do something.To learn more about the opportunities where you live, just go online and visit Serve.gov.Even the smallest act of service, the simplest act of kindness, is a way to honor those we lost;a way to reclaim that spirit of unity that followed 9/11.On this 10th anniversary, we still face great challenges as a nation.We’re emerging from the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes.We’re taking the fight to al Qaeda, ending the war in Iraq and starting to bring our troops home from Afghanistan.And we’re working to rebuild the foundation of our national strength here at home.None of this will be easy.And it can’t be the work of government alone.As we saw after 9/11, the strength of America has always been the character and compassion of our people.So as we mark this solemn anniversary, let’s summon that spirit once more.And let’s show that the sense of common purpose that we need in America doesn’t have to be a fleeting moment;it can be a lasting virtue—not just on one day, but every day.Prepared Remarks of President

Barack

Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Hello from the Country Corner Farm in Alpha, Illinois!For the past few days, I’ve been traveling to small towns and farm towns here in the heartland of this country.I sat down with small business owners in Gutenberg, Iowa;and ranchers and farmers in Peosta.I had lunch with veterans in Cannon Falls, Minnesota;and talked to plant workers at a seed distributor in Atkinson, Illinois.And to the girls volleyball team at Maquoketa High School, let me just say one thing: Go Cardinals.Now, I’m out here for one reason: I think Washington, DC can learn something from the folks in Atkinson and Peosta and Cannon Falls.I think our country would be a whole lot better off if our elected leaders showed the same kind of discipline and integrity and responsibility that most Americans demonstrate in their lives every single day.Because, the fact is, we’re going through a tough time right now.We’re coming through a terrible recession;a lot of folks are still looking for work.A lot of people are getting by with smaller paychecks or less money in the cash register.So we need folks in Washington – the people whose job it is to deal with the country’s problems, the people who you elected to serve – we need them to put aside their differences to get things done.There are things we can do right now that will mean more customers for businesses and more jobs across the country.We can cut payroll taxes again, so families have an extra $1,000 to spend.We can pass a road construction bill so construction crews – now sitting idle – can head back to the worksite, rebuilding roads, bridges, and airports.We’ve got brave, skilled Americans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.Let’s connect them with businesses that could use their skills.And let’s pass trade deals to level the playing field for our businesses.We have Americans driving Hyundais and Kias.Well, I want to see folks in Korea driving Fords, Chevys and Chryslers.I want more products sold around the globe stamped with three words: Made in America.These are commonsense ideas – ideas that have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans.The only thing holding them back is politics.The only thing preventing us from passing these bills is the refusal by some in Congress to put country ahead of party.That’s the problem we have right now.That’s what’s holding this country back.That’s what we have to change.Because, for all the knocks we’ve taken, despite all the challenges we face, this is still the greatest country on earth.We still have the best workers and farmers, entrepreneurs and businesses, students and scientists.And you can see that here in Alpha.You can see it along the country roads that connect these small towns and farmlands.These past few days, I’ve been seeing little kids with American flags and grandparents in lawn chairs.I’ve shaken hands with folks outside machine shops and churches, corner stores and farms.It reminds me why I got into public service in the first place.Getting out of Washington and spending time with the people of this country – seeing how hard you’re working, how creative you are, how resourceful you are, how determined you are – that only makes me more determined to serve you as best I can as President.And it only makes me more confident in our future.That’s why it’s so important that folks in Washington put country before party.That’s why it’s so important that our elected leaders get past their differences to help grow the economy and put this nation back to work.Because here in Alpha it couldn’t be more clear: if we can come together, there’s no stopping the United States of America.There’s no doubt that our future is bright.Thanks, and have a great weekend.Prepared Remarks of President

Barack

Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, August 13, 2011

On Thursday, I visited a new, high-tech factory in Michigan where workers are helping America lead the way in a growing clean energy industry.They were proud of their work, and they should be.They’re not just showing us a path out of the worst recession in generations – they’re proving that this is still a country where we make things;where new ideas take root and grow;where the best universities, most creative entrepreneurs, and most dynamic businesses in the world call home.They’re proving that even in difficult times, there’s not a country on Earth that wouldn’t trade places with us.That doesn’t mean we don’t face some very tough economic challenges.Many Americans are hurting badly right now.Many have been unemployed for too long.Putting these men and women back to work, and growing wages for everyone, has got to be our top priority.But lately, the response from Washington has been partisanship and gridlock that’s only undermined public confidence and hindered our efforts to grow the economy.So while there’s nothing wrong with our country, there is something wrong with our politics, and that’s what we’ve got to fix.Because we know there are things Congress can do, right now, to get more money back in your pockets, get this economy growing faster, and get our friends and neighbors back to work.The payroll tax cut that put $1,000 back in the average family’s pocket this year? Let’s extend it.Construction workers who’ve been jobless since the housing boom went bust? Let’s put them back to work rebuilding America.Let’s cut red tape in the patent process so entrepreneurs can get good ideas to market more quickly.Let’s finish trade deals so we can sell more American-made goods around the world.Let’s connect the hundreds of thousands of brave Americans coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan to businesses that need their incredible skills and talents.These are all things we can do right now.So let’s do them.And over the coming weeks, I’ll put forward more proposals to help our businesses hire and create jobs, and won’t stop until every American who wants a job can find one.But we can no longer let partisan brinksmanship get in our way – the idea that making it through the next election is more important than making things right.That’s what’s holding us back – the fact that some in Congress would rather see their opponents lose than see America win.So you’ve got a right to be frustrated.I am.Because you deserve better.And I don’t think it’s too much for you to expect that the people you send to this town start delivering.Members of Congress are at home in their districts right now.And if you agree with me – whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or not much of a fan of either – let them know.If you’ve had it with gridlock, and you want them to pass stalled bills that will help our economy right now – let them know.If you refuse to settle for a politics where scoring points is more important than solving problems;if you believe it’s time to put country before party and the interests of our children before our own – let them know.And maybe they’ll get back to Washington ready to compromise, ready to create jobs, ready to get our fiscal house in order – ready to do what you sent them to do.Yes, we’ve still got a long way to go to get to where we need to be.We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it’s going to take time to get out of it.That’s a hard truth – but it’s no excuse for inaction.After all, America voted for divided government, not dysfunctional government, and we’ve got work to do.And when we come together and find common ground, there’s no stopping this country.There’s no stopping our people.There’s no holding us back.And there is every reason to believe we’ll get through this storm to a brighter day.Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.Prepared Remarks of President

Barack

Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, August 6, 2011

This week, Congress reached an agreement that’s going to allow us to make some progress in reducing our nation’s budget deficit.And through this compromise, both parties are going to have to work together on a larger plan to get our nation’s finances in order.That’s important.We’ve got to make sure that Washington lives within its means, just like families do.In the long term, the health of our economy depends on it.But in the short term, our urgent mission has to be getting this economy growing faster and creating more jobs.That’s what’s on people’s minds;that’s what matters to families in this country.And the fact is, this has been a tumultuous year for the economy.We’ve weathered the Arab Spring’s effect on oil and gas prices.The Japanese earthquake and tsunami’s effect on supply chains.The economic situation in Europe.And in Washington, there was a contentious debate over our nation’s budget that nearly dragged our country into financial crisis.So our job right now has to be doing whatever we can to help folks find work;to help create the climate where a business can put up that job listing;where incomes are rising again for people.We’ve got to rebuild this economy and the sense of security that middle class families've felt slipping away for years.And while deficit reduction has to be part of our economic strategy, it’s not the only thing we have to do.We need Democrats and Republicans to work together to help grow this economy.We’ve got to put politics aside to get some things done.That’s what the American people expect of us.And there are a number of steps that Congress can take right away, when they return in September.We need to extend tax cuts for working and middle class families so you have more money in your paychecks next year.That would help millions of people to make ends meet.And that extra money for expenses means businesses will have more customers, and will be in a better position to hire.Yesterday, I proposed a new tax credit for companies that hire veterans who are looking for work after serving their country.We’ve got a lot of honorable and skilled people returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, and companies that could benefit from their abilities.Let’s put them together.We need to make sure that millions of workers who are still pounding the pavement looking for jobs are not denied unemployment benefits to carry them through hard times.We’ve got to cut the red tape that stops too many inventors and entrepreneurs from quickly turning new ideas in the thriving businesses – which holds back our whole economy.It’s time Congress finally passed a set of trade deals that would help displaced workers looking for new jobs, and that would allow our businesses to sell more products in countries in Asia and South America – products stamped with three words: Made in America.And we ought to give more opportunities to all those construction workers who lost their jobs when the housing boom went bust.We could put them to work right now, by giving loans to companies that want to repair our roads and bridges and airports, helping to rebuild America.Those are a few commonsense steps that would help the economy.And these are ideas that have been supported by both Democrats and Republicans in the past.So I’m going to keep calling on both parties in Congress to put aside their differences and send these bills to my desk so I can sign them right away.After all, both parties share power.Both parties share responsibility for our progress.Moving our economy and our country forward is not a Democratic or a Republican responsibility;it is our responsibility as Americans.That’s the spirit we need in Washington right now.That’s how we’ll get this economy growing faster and reach a brighter day.Thanks for listening, and have a great weekend.Prepared Remarks of President

Barack

Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, July 30, 2011

WASHINGTON—In this week’s address, President Obama urged both Republicans and Democrats to take action to avoid defaulting for the first time in our nation’s history.While the two parties are not far apart in their goals, they must resolve their differences quickly so that the United States can continue paying its Social Security checks, veterans’ benefits, and contracts with thousands of American businesses.The time has come to stop endangering the Triple A bond rating of the United States, put aside partisan politics, and behave responsibly to ensure a balanced approach to reducing our nation’s deficit.Today, I’d like to speak with you about the ongoing and urgent efforts to avoid a first-ever default and get our fiscal house in order.Republicans in the House of Representatives just spent precious days trying to pass a plan that a majority of Republicans and Democrats in the Senate had already said they wouldn’t vote for.It’s a plan that wouldn’t solve our fiscal problems, but would force us to re-live this crisis in just a few short months.It would hold our economy captive to Washington politics once again.If anything, the past few weeks have demonstrated that’s not acceptable.Any solution to avoid default must be bipartisan.It must have the support of both parties that were sent here to represent the American people – not just one faction of one party.There are multiple ways to resolve this problem.Congress must find common ground on a plan that can get support from both parties in the House and the Senate.And it’s got to be a plan that I can sign by Tuesday.Look, the parties are not that far apart here.We’re in rough agreement on how much spending we need to cut to reduce our deficit.And we agree on a process to tackle tax reform and entitlement reform.There are plenty of ways out of this mess.But there is very little time.We need to reach a compromise by Tuesday so that our country will have the ability to pay its bills on time – bills like Social Security checks, veterans’ benefits, and contracts we’ve signed with thousands of American businesses.If we don’t, for the first time ever, we could lose our country’s Triple A credit rating.Not because we didn’t have the capacity to pay our bills – we do – but because we didn’t have a Triple A political system to match it.And make no mistake – for those who reflexively oppose tax increases on anyone, a lower credit rating would be a tax increase on everyone – we’d all pay higher interest rates on mortgages, car loans, and credit cards.That would be inexcusable, and entirely self-inflicted by Washington.The power to solve this is in our hands.All that’s needed is a simple vote that Democrats and Republicans have taken for decades, including all of the leaders in Congress today.It was done 18 times under President Reagan.7 times under George W.Bush.And it must be done again now.It’s not a vote that allows Congress to spend more money.Raising the debt ceiling simply gives our country the ability to pay the bills the Congress has already racked up.It gives the United States of America the ability to keep its word.And it will let businesses and our economy breathe a sigh of relief.On Monday night, I asked you to make your voice heard in this debate.And the response was overwhelming.One of the emails we received was from a woman named Kelly Smith, who wanted to send this message to Washington: “I keep my home clean,” Kelly wrote, ”I work hard at a full time job, give my parents any monies I can so they can afford their medications, I pay my bills and by all appearances I am a responsible person.All I’m asking is that you be responsible.I have my house in order and all I’m asking is that you get yours the same way.”

Here in Washington, we need to get our house in order.And I have to say, Democrats in Congress and some Senate Republicans have been listening and have shown themselves willing to make compromises to solve this crisis.Now all of us – including Republicans in the House of Representatives – need to demonstrate the same kind of responsibility that the American people show every day.The time for putting party first is over.The time for compromise on behalf of the American people is now.Thank you.