As lawmakers in the United States argue over the nation's debt ceiling and spar over who is responsible for the nation's 9.2 percent unemployment rate, many business owners look on in disbelief. They are uncertain about the state of the economy, and are looking for signs of confidence in Washington that it is safe to begin hiring.
就在美国议员就国债上限问题以及谁应当为美国9.2%的失业率负责而争论之际，许多企业老板在怀疑地观望。他们不能确定经济的实际状况。他们在等候华盛顿出现对经济有信心的迹象，也就是说，现在安全了，可以雇用新员工。
At Carlos Interiors in Crofton, Maryland, company owner Cristina Uria sees a glimmer of hope. Business is up 15 percent from last year.
在马里兰州克罗夫顿的卡洛斯室内装璜设计公司，老板克里斯蒂娜.乌里亚看到一线希望。公司的生意比去年增长了15%。
In 2008, when the recession began, Uria's business dropped 60 percent. Like many small business owners, she had to make painful decisions in order to remain open.
2008年，美国的经济衰退开始时，乌里亚的生意下降了60%。和许多小公司老板一样，为了不让公司停业，她不得不做出一些痛苦的决定。
“We had to let go probably about four people," said Uria. "During this recession, companies have needed to become leaner and meaner. Any extra fat that we had, and extra expenses, we needed to cut them off.”
乌里亚说：“我们当时不得不裁员4个人。在这次经济衰退时期，公司更需要精简机构和节约开支。我们必须让公司减肥，削减额外的开支。”
Uria said there were months when no one walked through the door at her design center. With more than 25 years in business, it was her established clients that kept her afloat. Even though business is picking up, she said she is not ready to hire new employees.
乌里亚说，曾经有几个月的时间，她没有什么生意。乌里亚做这个生意超过25年时间，全靠她建立起来的客户使她能够经营下去。她说，即使目前经济正在好转，她也不想招收新雇员。
“The government in Washington is not giving us the right signals,” she said.
乌里亚说：“华盛顿政府并没有给我们发出正确的信号。”
Uria cites the long, drawn out negotiations between the White House and Congress over raising the debt ceiling as an example. She said rhetoric on both sides adds to the confusion.
乌里亚援引白宫和国会就提高债务上限进行的旷日持久的谈判为例。她说，双方在辩论中的一些空洞辞令使人们更为困惑。
“The House cannot pass a bill that raises taxes on job creators,” said Speaker of the House John Boehner.
众议院议长贝纳说：“众院不能通过一项向创造就业机会的人增税的议案。”
“I will not sign a 30-day or a 60-day or a 90-day extension," said President Barack Obama. "It is not going to get easier; it is going to get harder. So, we might as well do it now.”
奥巴马总统说：“我不会签署一项30天、60天或90天的债务上限临时上调议案，这个问题不容易解决，而且越来越难解决。因此，我们最好还是现在解决问题。”
Many economists agree that businesses need a clearer picture of the economy before they will begin hiring again. Ayman El Tarabishy, who teaches economics at George Washington University, said, "Even President Obama coming out and saying you need to raise taxes. It’s not that they [business owners] don’t understand it, they do understand it. But what they don’t understand is the implications from a bottom line because they are still fighting it out. And until this settles down, until they see a clear path forward, they are going to wait.”
许多经济学家都认为，企业在开始再度招工之前，需要看到经济形势有一个比较清晰的画面。
Uria said one of the things businesses have learned over the last two years is that they can survive without the workers they lost, giving them less incentive to hire.
乌里亚说，过去两年的经历让公司学到了一点，那就是，裁员后不再雇人也可以维持经营。因此，公司对雇用新人就没有太大的积极性。
“I think most of us have learned that we can stay still with less than what we had before," she said "Of course, if the economy gets to the point to where it was before, I will have to have more people to handle the amount of work I have."
乌里亚说：“我认为，我们大多数人都知道，在比过去人少的情况下我们还是能够挺过去的。显然，如果经济恢复到过去那么好，我必须雇用更多的人来处理我们增加的工作量。”
Even then, she said any new workers would not be full-time employees. She said the key is confidence. Confidence the economy is growing. Confidence that consumers are willing to spend. And confidence that politicians in Washington will find the right answers to revive the nation's economy.
乌里亚说，即使到那个时候，新招收的工人也不会是全职雇员。她说，关键是要有信心，要对经济将会增长有信心，对消费者愿意花钱有信心，也要对华盛顿的政治人物能够重振美国经济、找到正确的解决方案持有信心。 |