The U.S. housing industry, where experts believe the economic crisis began, is the target of President Barack Obama's latest initiative to strengthen the economy. Mr. Obama has unveiled a $75 billion plan to prevent as many as nine million Americans from losing their homes.
奥巴马总统星期三针对美国的房市提出了最新的倡议，以促进美国经济。专家认为，美国的经济危机始于这个行业。奥巴马提出了一个750亿美元的计划来防止多达9百万美国人失去他们的住房。
President Obama made the announcement in the southwestern city of Phoenix, Arizona, one of the areas hardest hit by foreclosures.
奥巴马总统在位于亚利桑那州西南部的凤凰城宣布了救助房市的计划。这个地方是美国房屋失赎案例最多的地区之一。
"In the end, all of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis," he said. "And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to continue to deepen, a crisis which is unraveling homeownership, the middle class, and the American Dream itself."
他说：“最终，我们大家都在为这个房贷危机付出代价。如果我们允许这个危机继续恶化下去，我们所有的人将会付出更大的代价。这个危机正在瓦解美国人对房屋的拥有权、中产阶级以及美国梦本身。”
Mr. Obama introduced his housing plan one day after signing a $787 billion economic stimulus package, which he says will create or save 3.5 million jobs over two years. He said the home mortgage crisis, the financial crisis and the broader economic crisis are interconnected.
奥巴马在签署了7870亿美元的经济刺激方案一天之后提出了他挽救房市的计划。他表示，这个刺激方案将在两年的时间里创造或是挽救350万个工作机会。他说，房贷危机、金融危机以及更为广泛的经济危机都有内在的联系。
Phoenix-area homeowner Tammy Woods agrees that mortgage problems can affect an entire community.
凤凰城地区的房主伍兹也认为，房屋贷款问题会影响整个社区。
"This is not just my problem, because if I lose my home, it affects my neighbors, it affects my neighborhood, it definitely affects all of us," said Woods.
她说：“这不仅是我的问题，因为如果我失去了我的房子，这会影响到我的邻居，影响到我的邻里，它无疑会影响到我们所有人。”
Moody's Economy.com says nearly 27 percent of America's 52 million homeowners with a home loan owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. The president's plan is aimed at helping borrowers in that predicament, and those who are in danger of foreclosure.
国际信用评级机构穆迪公司的研究部门穆迪经济网站说，在美国5200万房主中，将近27%的房主的房屋贷款超过了他们房子的市场价值。奥巴马总统的计划旨在帮助处于这个境地的借贷者以及那些可能丧失住房赎回权的人。
"But it will give millions of families resigned to financial ruin a chance to rebuild. It will prevent the worst consequences of this crisis from wreaking even greater havoc on the economy," the report said. "And by bringing down the foreclosure rate, it will help to shore up housing prices for everyone."
他说：“这个救市计划将给数以百万计处于财务困境的美国家庭一个重建的机会。它将防止这个危机最糟糕的后果对经济造成更大的损害。在降低失赎权比例的同时，它将有助于为大家支撑房屋价格。”
Also, the Treasury Department says it will double the size of its payments to the mortgage finance companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which the government seized last fall. The government says it will absorb as much as $200 billion in losses at each company.
美国财政部也表示，它将把向房贷融资公司房利美和房地美提供的资金增加一倍。这两家公司去年夏天被政府接管。政府说，它将吸收每家公司多达2千亿美元的损失。
The Commerce Department reported on Wednesday that construction of new homes and applications for permits to build homes plunged to record lows in January.
美国商务部星期三报告说，新房开工率以及建造房屋的许可申请在1月份下跌到创记录的低水平。 |