Hi, everybody.

大家好。

This week, I spent a couple days in Minneapolis, talking with people about their lives-their concerns, their successes, and their hopes for the future.

本周，我在明尼波利斯呆了幾天，與人們談論他們的生活--他們的關注，他們的成功和他們對未來的希望。

I went because of a letter I received from a working mother named Rebekah, who shared with me the hardships her young family has faced since the financial crisis.

我去那里是因為我收到了一封來自一個名叫瑞貝卡的工薪母親的來信，她在信中告訴我他們的年輕的家庭自金融危機以來的艱辛。

She and her husband Ben were just newlyweds expecting their first child, Jack, when the housing crash dried up his contracting business.

她和她的丈夫本新婚燕爾正在期盼他們的長子杰克降生時，正趕上房地產泡沫破滅，本簽約的公司破產。

He took what jobs he could, and Rebekah took out student loans and retrained for a new career.

他做所有能做的工作，瑞貝卡償還學生貸款，為了新的生涯重新培訓自己。

They sacrificed-for their kids, and for each other. And five years later, they've paid off debt, bought their first home, and had their second son, Henry.

他們為了孩子們犧牲，為了對方犧牲。五年后，他們償還了債務，買了手套住房，有了次子亨利。

In her letter to me, she wrote, “We are a strong, tight-knit family who has made it through some very, very hard times.”

在給我的信中，她寫道，“我們是一個堅強親密無間的家庭，走過了一段非常非常艱難的日子。”

And in many ways, that's America's story these past five years.

在很多方面，這是過去五年里美國的故事。

We are a strong, tight-knit family that's made it through some very tough times.

我們是一個堅強的親密無間的大家庭，走過了一段非常艱難的日子。

Today, over the past 51 months, our businesses have created 9.4 million new jobs.

今天，在過去的51個月里，我們的企業創造了9百40萬個新就業機會。

By measure after measure, our economy is doing better than it was five years ago.

一個又一個指標表明，我們比五年前好多了。

But as Rebekah also wrote in her letter, there are still too many middle-class families like hers who do everything right-who work hard and who sacrifice-but can't seem to get ahead.

但是正如在信中還寫道的，還有很多他們一樣的中產階級家庭沒有過錯-他們努力工作付出犧牲-但是沒有過得更好。

It feels like the odds are stacked against them.

好像他們的前方有障礙阻撓他們。

And with just a small change in our priorities, we could fix that.

我們對這些的關注還很少，我們必須改正這些。

The problem is, Republicans in Congress keep blocking or voting down almost every serious idea to strengthen the middle class.

問題是，國會的共和黨人繼續阻撓或投票反對幾乎每一個加強中產階級的認真的設想。

This year alone, they've said no to raising the minimum wage, no to fair pay, no to student loan reform, no to extending unemployment insurance.

僅僅今年，他們就反對提高最低工資，反對公平分配，反對學生貸款改革，反對擴大失業保險。

And rather than invest in education that helps working families get ahead, they actually voted to give another massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.

他們不是投資于幫助工薪家庭搞得好的教育，而是投票贊同給最富裕的美國人更多的稅收減免。

This obstruction keeps the system rigged for those at the top, and rigged against the middle class.

這個障礙保持這個系統為富人服務，不利于中產階級。

And as long as they insist on doing it, I'll keep taking actions on my own-like the actions I've taken already to attract new jobs, lift workers' wages, and help students pay off their loans.

只要他們堅持這樣，我就繼續單獨行動-正如我已經采取的吸引新就業機會、提高工人工資和幫助學生們償還貸款的行動。

I'll do my job.

我將盡我的職責。

And if it makes Republicans in Congress mad that I'm trying to help people out, they can join me, and we'll do it together.

如果我努力幫助人民令國會的共和黨人不安，他們可以與我合作，我們共同做這些。

The point is, we could do so much more as a country-as a strong, tight-knit family-if Republicans in Congress were less interested in stacking the deck for those at the top, and more interested in growing the economy for everybody.

關鍵是，我們作為一個國家、作為一個堅強的親密無間的大家庭可以做得如此之多-如果國會的共和黨人不那么熱衷于為富人們某私利，而熱衷于為所有人發展經濟的話。

So rather than more tax breaks for millionaires, let's give more tax breaks to help working families pay for child care or college.

所以不是為富人們減稅，而是讓我們推出更多減稅來幫助工薪家庭支付育兒和上大學的開銷。

Rather than protect tax loopholes that let big corporations set up tax shelters overseas, let's put people to work rebuilding roads and bridges right here in America.

不是維護讓大公司可以在海外設立避稅所的稅收漏洞，而是讓人們可以馬上在美國投入重新建設道路和橋梁。

Rather than stack the decks in favor of those who've already succeeded, let's realize that we are stronger as a nation when we offer a fair shot to every American.

不是為已經成功的人們謀私利，而是讓我們認識到我們給每個美國人公平的機會，我們作為一個國家才能更加強大。

I'm going to spend some time talking about these very choices in the week ahead.

我將在未來的一周里花一些時間談論這些選擇。

That's because we know from our history that our economy doesn't grow from the top-down, it grows from the middle-out.

那是因為我們以史為鑒得知我們的經濟自上而下發展不好，而是從中間向兩邊才發展得好。

We do better when the middle class does better.

中產階級興則我們旺。

That's the American way.That's what I believe in.

這就是美國的道路。這就是我的信仰。

And that's what I'll keep fighting for.

這就是我要繼續為之奮斗的。

Have a great Fourth of July, everybody-and good luck to Team USA down in Brazil.

各位，獨立日快樂-祝遠在巴西的美國足球隊好運。

Thanks.

謝謝大家。

音頻資料下載地址：http://pan.baidu.com/s/1i3JwTG5

更多 英語演講稿、英文演講稿、英語演講小短文，請繼續關注 英語作文大全