For the second straight day and less than a day after his first presidential news conference, President Barack Obama has traveled the United States, trying to build public support for his economic stimulus proposal. This time, he spoke and took questions from a crowd in Fort Myers, Florida - a city with the nation's highest rate of home loan foreclosures.
美国总统奥巴马连续两天走出华盛顿，到备受金融危机困扰的地区，亲自向民众解释他提出的经济刺激方案，以争取更多的公众支持。佛罗里达州的迈尔斯堡是美国全国住房失赎率最高的城市。在这里，奥巴马总统不但向民众发表了讲话，还当场回答了人们提出的问题。
"We know that in order to address our economic crisis, we are going to have to help homeowners, not just banks, but the homeowners as well," he said.
他说：“我们知道，为了解决经济危机，我们必须帮助房主。不仅仅是银行，还必须帮助房主。”
President Obama said he will unveil an overall housing strategy in the next few weeks. But he's already looking at ways to help homeowners avoid foreclosure.
奥巴马总统说，在未来的几个星期里，他将公布一个全面的住房策略。不过，他已经开始想办法帮助房主避免丧失住房赎回权。
As the president spoke in Florida, the U.S. Senate passed its version of the economic stimulus plan. The legislation will go to a committee which will work out differences with the recovery plan that passed the House of Representatives in January. The resulting bill will go to the president for his signature.
就在奥巴马总统在佛罗里达州发表讲话的时候，美国国会参议院投票通过了自己版本的经济刺激计划。国会的一个委员会将对参议院和众议院分别通过的法案进行调整，合并为一个共同法案，然后交给奥巴马总统签字，使之成为法律。
"We have had a good debate. That is part of what democracy is all about," he said. "But the time for talk is over. Folks here in Fort Myers and across America - they need help; they need action and they need it now."
奥巴马总统说：“我们进行了一场很好的辩论。这恰恰是民主进程的一部分。不过，夸夸其谈的时候已经过去了。从迈尔斯堡到全美国，人们都需要帮助。他们需要行动，需要现在就采取行动。”
Mr. Obama was introduced in Fort Myers by Charlie Crist, the popular Governor of Florida, who is one of few nationally-known Republican politicians to endorse the president's economic recovery plan.
奥巴马总统是在佛罗里达州长查理.克里斯特陪同下跟民众见面的。克里斯特州长是全国绝无仅有的几个支持奥巴马总统经济复兴计划的共和党政治家。
"This is not about partisan politics; this is about rising above that, helping America and reigniting our economy," he said.
他说：“这跟党派政治没有关系，这远远超过了党派政治，这关系到帮助美国重振经济。”
On Monday, the president addressed a community meeting in Elkhart, Indiana, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. Later in the week, he will visit a factory in Peoria, Illinois, where workers are facing job cuts.
头一天，奥巴马总统曾经到印第安纳州小镇埃尔克哈特向当地民众解释他的经济政策，那里是美国全国失业率最高的地区之一。这个星期晚些时候，奥巴马总统还将前往伊利诺伊州皮奥里亚市的一个工厂，那里的工人也面临裁员。 |