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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The White House and congressional Democrats2 continue to press for a federal-tax-cut extension that would benefit nearly all wage and salary earners, but especially the middle class. Paying for the extension remains3 a sticking point on Capitol Hill, where Republicans object to a proposed surcharge on millionaires.
Position reversal
It is a rare reversal of partisan4 and ideological5 positions: Democrats fighting to sustain a tax cut and Republicans raising objections.
Last year, it was Republicans who insisted that lower tax rates enacted6 under former President George W. Bush be extended for all income levels, and Democrats who said the top tax rate paid by the richest Americans should rise. In the end, all Bush-era tax cuts were extended, without any corresponding tax hikes or spending cuts to offset7 the fiscal8 impact.
At issue today are taxes collected to fund the federal program that provides income to retirees, known as Social Security. For 2011, those taxes were reduced by about a third to give Americans bigger paychecks and, it was hoped, stimulate9 economic growth.
Economic impact
Unless Congress acts, full Social Security taxes will be collected once again in 2012. Democratic Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota says that would be disastrous10 for America’s fragile economic recovery.
"What the country needs right now is additional lift for the economy," he said. "We still have one-in-six Americans either unemployed11 or underemployed. We should not have a tax increase on the middle class. That just makes no sense."
Last week, Senate Republicans defeated a Democratic proposal to pay for a Social Security tax cut extension by tax hike on millionaires. Senate Democrats defeated a Republican proposal for a similar tax cut offset by federal spending reductions.
Also appearing on Fox was Republican Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, who argued that fixing the massive federal deficit13 requires fiscal discipline.
"The question the American people ought to ask is, 'Where is the backbone14 in Washington to actually pay for these extensions?' All we see coming out of Washington is a promise about collecting revenue in the future to pay for expenditures15 today. We ought to pay for that by decreasing spending now in other low-priority areas," he said.
Tax cuts for the wealthy
Democrats argue the Republican position shows they are only interested in preserving tax cuts for the wealthy. Republicans fire back that Democrats are fundamentally unwilling16 to reduce the size and scope of government in the U.S. economy.
President Barack Obama has suggested Congress remain in session until the Social Security tax cut is extended, even if that means keeping the legislature open through the upcoming Christmas holiday period. Kent Conrad announced on Fox that the Senate’s top Democrat1, Majority Leader Harry17 Reid, is working on a compromise proposal to be unveiled this week.
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1 democrat | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士;民主党党员 | |
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2 democrats | |
n.民主主义者,民主人士( democrat的名词复数 ) | |
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3 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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4 partisan | |
adj.党派性的;游击队的;n.游击队员;党徒 | |
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5 ideological | |
a.意识形态的 | |
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6 enacted | |
制定(法律),通过(法案)( enact的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7 offset | |
n.分支,补偿;v.抵消,补偿 | |
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8 fiscal | |
adj.财政的,会计的,国库的,国库岁入的 | |
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9 stimulate | |
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋 | |
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10 disastrous | |
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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11 unemployed | |
adj.失业的,没有工作的;未动用的,闲置的 | |
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12 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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13 deficit | |
n.亏空,亏损;赤字,逆差 | |
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14 backbone | |
n.脊骨,脊柱,骨干;刚毅,骨气 | |
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15 expenditures | |
n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 );使用;(尤指金钱的)支出额;(精力、时间、材料等的)耗费 | |
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16 unwilling | |
adj.不情愿的 | |
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17 harry | |
vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼 | |
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