奥巴马每周演讲稿 (8)

第一篇：奥巴马每周演讲稿 (8)

2010-08-14

Seventy-five years ago today, in the midst of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt signed Social Security into law, laying a cornerstone in the foundation of America’s middle class, and assuring generations of America’s seniors that after a lifetime of hard work, they’d have a chance to retire with dignity.We have an obligation to keep that promise;to safeguard Social Security for our seniors, people with disabilities, and all Americans – today, tomorrow, and forever.Now, we’ve been talking for a long time about how to do that;about how to make sure Social Security is healthy enough to cover the higher costs that are kicking in now that baby boomers are retiring.And I’m committed to working with anyone, Democrat or Republican, who wants to strengthen Social Security.I’m also encouraged by the reports of serious bipartisan work being done on this and other issues in the fiscal commission that I set up several months ago.One thing we can’t afford to do though is privatize Social Security – an ill-conceived idea that would add trillions of dollars to our budget deficit while tying your benefits to the whims of Wall Street traders and the ups and downs of the stock market.A few years ago, we had a debate about privatizing Social Security.And I’d have thought that debate would’ve been put to rest once and for all by the financial crisis we’ve just experienced.I’d have thought, after being reminded how quickly the stock market can tumble, after seeing the wealth people worked a lifetime to earn wiped out in a matter of days, that no one would want to place bets with Social Security on Wall Street;that everyone would understand why we need to be prudent about investing the retirement money of tens of millions of Americans.But some Republican leaders in Congress don’t seem to have learned any lessons from the past few years.They’re pushing to make privatizing Social Security a key part of their legislative agenda if they win a majority in Congress this fall.It’s right up there on their to-do list with repealing some of the Medicare benefits and reforms that are adding at least a dozen years to the fiscal health of Medicare – the single longest extension in history.That agenda is wrong for seniors, it’s wrong for America, and I won’t let it happen.Not while I’m President.I’ll fight with everything I’ve got to stop those who would gamble your Social Security on Wall Street.Because you shouldn’t be worried that a sudden downturn in the stock market will put all you’ve worked so hard for – all you’ve earned – at risk.You should have the peace of mind of knowing that after meeting your responsibilities and paying into the system all your lives, you’ll get the benefits you deserve.Seventy-five years ago today, Franklin Roosevelt made a promise.He promised that from that day forward, we’d offer – quote – “some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against&hellippoverty-stricken old age.” That’s a promise each generation of Americans has kept.And it’s a promise America will continue to keep so long as I have the honor of serving as President.Thanks for listening.Thanks for watching.And have wonderful weekend.

第二篇：奥巴马每周演讲稿

2010-06-26

This weekend, I’m traveling to Toronto to meet with members of the G20.There, I hope we can build on the progress we made at last year’s G20 summits by coordinating our global financial reform efforts to make sure a crisis like the one from which we are still recovering never happens again.We’ve made great progress toward passing such reform here at home.As I speak, we are on the cusp of enacting the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression.I don’t have to tell you why these reforms are so important.We’re still digging ourselves out of an economic crisis that happened largely because there wasn’t strong enough oversight on Wall Street.We can’t build a strong economy in America over the long-run without ending this status quo, and laying a new foundation for growth and prosperity.That’s what the Wall Street reforms currently making their way through Congress will help us do – reforms that represent 90% of what I proposed when I took up this fight.We’ll put in place the strongest consumer financial protections in American history, and create an independent agency with an independent director and an independent budget to enforce them.Credit card companies will no longer be able to mislead you with pages and pages of fine print.You will no longer be subject to all kinds of hidden fees and penalties, or the predatory practices of unscrupulous lenders.Instead, we’ll make sure credit card companies and mortgage companies play by the rules.And you’ll be empowered with easy-to-understand forms, and the clear and concise information you need to make the financial decisions that are best for you and your family.Wall Street reform will also strengthen our economy in a number of other ways.We’ll make our financial system more transparent by bringing the kinds of complex trades that helped trigger this crisis – trades in a $600 trillion derivatives market – finally into the light of day.We’ll enact what’s called the Volcker Rule to make sure banks protected by a safety net like the FDIC can’t engage in risky trades for their own profit.We’ll create what’s called a resolution authority to help wind down firms whose collapse would threaten our entire financial system.Put simply, we’ll end the days of taxpayer-funded bailouts, and help make sure Main Street is never again held responsible for Wall Street’s mistakes.Beyond these reforms, we also need to address another piece of unfinished business.We need to impose a fee on the banks that were the biggest beneficiaries of taxpayer assistance at the height of our financial crisis – so we can recover every dime of taxpayer money.Getting this far on Wall Street reform hasn’t been easy.There are those who’ve fought tooth and nail to preserve the status quo.In recent months, they’ve spent millions of dollars and hired an army of lobbyists to stop reform dead in its tracks.But because we refused to back down, and kept fighting, we now stand on the verge of victory.And I urge Congress to take us over the finish line, and send me a reform bill I can sign into law, so we can empower our people with consumer protections, and help prevent a financial crisis like this from ever happening again.

第三篇：奥巴马每周演讲稿

2010-07-03

This week, I spent some time in Racine, Wisconsin, talking with folks who are doing their best to cope with the aftermath of a brutal recession.And while I was there, a young woman asked me a question I hear all the time: “What are we doing as a nation to bring jobs back to this country?”

Well, on Friday, we learned that after 22 straight months of job loss, our economy has now created jobs in the private sector for 6 months in a row.That’s a positive sign.But the truth is, the recession from which we’re emerging has left us in a hole that’s about 8 million jobs deep.And as I’ve said from the day I took office, it’s going to take months, even years, to dig our way out – and it’s going to require an all-hands-on-deck effort.In the short term, we’re fighting to speed up this recovery and keep the economy growing by all means possible.That means extending unemployment insurance for workers who lost their job.That means getting small businesses the loans they need to keep their doors open and hire new workers.And that means sending relief to states so they don’t have to lay off thousands of teachers and firefighters and police officers.Still, at a time when millions of Americans feel a deep sense of urgency in their own lives, Republican leaders in Washington just don’t get it.While a majority of Senators support taking these steps to help the American people, some are playing the same old Washington games and using their power to hold this relief hostage – a move that only ends up holding back our recovery.It doesn’t make sense.But I promised those folks in Wisconsin – and I promise all of you – that we won’t back down.We’re going to keep fighting to advance our recovery.And we’re going to keep competing aggressively to make sure the jobs and industries of the future are taking root right here in America.That’s one of the reasons why we’re accelerating the transition to a clean energy economy and doubling our use of renewable energy sources like wind and solar power – steps that have the potential to create whole new industries and hundreds of thousands of new jobs in America.In fact, today, I’m announcing that the Department of Energy is awarding nearly $2 billion in conditional commitments to two solar companies.The first is Abengoa Solar, a company that has agreed to build one of the largest solar plants in the world right here in the United States.After years of watching companies build things and create jobs overseas, it’s good news that we’ve attracted a company to our shores to build a plant and create jobs right here in America.In the short term, construction will create approximately 1,600 jobs in Arizona.What’s more, over 70 percent of the components and products used in construction will be manufactured in the USA, boosting jobs and communities in states up and down the supply chain.Once completed, this plant will be the first large-scale solar plant in the U.S.to actually store the energy it generates for later use – even at night.And it will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power 70,000 homes.The second company is Abound Solar Manufacturing, which will manufacture advanced solar panels at two new plants, creating more than 2,000 construction jobs and 1,500 permanent jobs.A Colorado plant is already underway, and an Indiana plant will be built in what’s now an empty Chrysler factory.When fully operational, these plants will produce millions of state-of-the-art solar panels each year.These are just two of the many clean energy investments in the Recovery Act.Already, I’ve seen the payoff from these investments.I’ve seen once-shuttered factories humming with new workers who are building solar panels and wind turbines;rolling up their sleeves to help America win the race for the clean energy economy.So that’s some of what we’re doing.But the truth is, steps like these won’t replace all the jobs we’ve lost overnight.I know folks are struggling.I know this Fourth of July weekend finds many Americans wishing things were a bit easier right now.I do too.But what this weekend reminds us, more than any other, is that we are a nation that has always risen to the challenges before it.We are a nation that, 234 years ago, declared our independence from one of the greatest empires the world had ever known.We are a nation that mustered a sense of common purpose to overcome Depression and fear itself.We are a nation that embraced a call to greatness and saved the world from tyranny.That is who we are – a nation that turns times of trial into times of triumph – and I know America will write our own destiny once more.I wish every American a safe and happy Fourth of July.And to all our troops serving in harm’s way, I want you to know you have the support of a grateful nation and a proud Commander-in-Chief.Thank you, God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America.

第四篇：奥巴马每周演讲稿 (21)

2010-11-13

This weekend, I’m concluding a trip to Asia whose purpose was to open new markets for American products in this fast-growing part of the world.The economic battle for these markets is fierce, and we’re up against strong competitors.But as I’ve said many times, America doesn’t play for second place.The future we’re fighting for isn’t as the world’s largest importer, consuming products made elsewhere, but as the world’s largest manufacturer of ideas and goods sold around the world.Opening new markets will not only help America’s businesses create new jobs for American workers.It will also help us reduce our deficits – because the single greatest tool for getting our fiscal house in order is robust economic growth.That kind of growth will require ensuring that our students are getting the best education possible;that we’re on the cutting edge of research and development;and that we’re rebuilding our roads and railways, runways and ports – so our infrastructure is up to the challenges of the 21st century.Given the deficits that have mounted up over the past decade, we can’t afford to make these investments unless we’re also willing to cut what we don’t need.That’s why I’ve submitted to Congress a plan for a three-year budget freeze, and I’m prepared to offer additional savings.But as we work to reform our budget, Congress should also put some skin in the game.I agree with those Republican and Democratic members of Congress who’ve recently said that in these challenging days, we can’t afford what are called earmarks.These are items inserted into spending bills by members of Congress without adequate review.Now, some of these earmarks support worthy projects in our local communities.But many others do not.We can’t afford Bridges to Nowhere like the one that was planned a few years back in Alaska.Earmarks like these represent a relatively small part of overall federal spending.But when it comes to signaling our commitment to fiscal responsibility, addressing them would have an important impact.As a Senator, I helped eliminate anonymous earmarks and created new measures of transparency so Americans can better follow how their tax dollars are being spent.As President, time and again, I’ve called for new limitations on earmarks.We’ve reduced the cost of earmarks by over $3 billion.And we’ve put in place higher standards of transparency by putting as much information as possible on earmarks.gov.In fact, this week, we updated the site with more information about where last year’s earmarks were actually spent, and made it easier to look up Members of Congress and the earmarks they fought for.Today, we have a chance to go further.We have a chance to not only shine a light on a bad Washington habit that wastes billions of taxpayer dollars, but take a step towards restoring public trust.We have a chance to advance the interests not of Republicans or Democrats, but of the American people;to put our country on the path of fiscal discipline and responsibility that will lead to a brighter economic future for all.And that’s a future I hope we can reach across party lines to build together.Thanks everybody, and have a great weekend.

第五篇：奥巴马每周演讲稿 (25)

2010-12-11

Right now, there’s a big debate taking place in Washington that will affect how much you pay in taxes next year.If Congress doesn’t act, tax rates will automatically go up for just about everyone in our country.Typical middle class families would end up paying an extra $3,000.That’s unacceptable to me.Not when we know that it’s the middle class that was hit the hardest by the recession.And not when we know that taking this money out of the pockets of working people is exactly the wrong thing to do to get our economy growing faster.Economists tell us that this tax hike on working families could actually cost us well over a million jobs.That’s why I’ve been fighting so hard to cut middle class taxes.And that’s why I brought both Democrats and Republicans to the table – to put together a compromise, and work through our differences, so we could get this done.Now, the Republicans in Congress strongly favored permanent tax breaks for the wealthiest taxpayers and the wealthiest estates, most of which would go to millionaires and even billionaires.But I didn’t believe that these tax cuts were worth the cost.They’d add to our deficits without really boosting the economy.I believed that the best way to help the economy, and working families, was to keep middle class tax rates low, and cut taxes for working parents, college students, and small businesses.And I believed that with millions of people looking for jobs, it would be a terrible mistake to end unemployment insurance – not only for people who are out of work, but for our entire economy.So we hammered out a deal that reflects ideas from both sides.It wasn’t easy, and it’s by no means perfect.And as with any compromise, everybody had to live with elements they didn’t like.But this is a good deal for the American people.The vast majority of the tax cuts in this plan will help the middle class, including a new cut in payroll taxes that will save the average family about $1,000.And as this plan is debated in Congress, what I want to make clear is the real difference it will make in people’s lives.It’s going to make a difference for a single mom with two kids in Ohio working as a cashier.With this plan, she’d get a new payroll tax cut and a bigger child tax credit together worth more than $2,300.It’s going to make a difference for a couple in Florida earning about $50,000 and trying to put one of their two kids through college.They’d save more than $4,000 because of the middle class tax cuts – including a $2,500 tax credit to go toward college tuition.And it’s going to make an enormous difference for people looking for jobs.For many of these families, emergency unemployment insurance is the last line of defense between hardship and catastrophe.And I’d point out, if these folks stop spending money, it will also hurt businesses, which will hurt hiring, which will damage our recovery.So this plan is going to help millions of families to make ends meet, through tax cuts and unemployment insurance for people who’ve lost their jobs by no fault of their own.And we included tax relief for businesses, too – making it easier for them to invest and expand.All told, this will not only directly help families and businesses.By putting more money in people’s pockets, and helping companies grow, we’re going to see people being able to spend a little more, we’re going to spur hiring – we’re going to strengthen our entire economy.Now, I recognize that many of my friends in my own party are uncomfortable with some of what’s in this agreement, in particular the temporary tax cuts for the wealthy.And I share their concerns.It’s clear that over the long run, if we’re serious about balancing the budget, we cannot afford to continue these tax breaks for the wealthiest taxpayers – especially when we know that cutting the deficit is going to demand sacrifice from everyone.That’s the reality.But at the same time, we cannot allow the middle class in this country to be caught in the political crossfire of Washington.People want us to find solutions, not score points.And I will not allow middle class families to be treated like pawns on a chessboard.The opportunity for families to send their kids to college hinges on this debate.The ability of parents to put food on the table while looking for a job depends on this debate.And our recovery will be strengthened or weakened based on the choice that now rests with Congress.So I strongly urge members of both parties to pass this plan.And I’m confident that they will do the right thing, strengthening the middle class and our economic recovery.