VOA双语新闻：18、奥巴马国情咨文将以贫富差距为重点（在线收听）

奥巴马国情咨文将以贫富差距为重点

Recent government surveys in the United States show that the income gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else is growing. A Congressional Budget Office survey found that the wealthiest one percent increased their income by 275 percent over the past 30 years, compared to less than 40 percent for the vast majority of the U.S. middle class.

美国政府最近的调查显示美国社会贫富差距继续扩大。国会预算办公室的一项调查发现过去30年最富裕阶层的收入增加了275%，相比之下占绝大多数的中产阶级收入增加了不到40%。

President Barack Obama intends to focus on the widening income gap in Tuesday’s State of the Union address.

预计贫富悬殊问题是奥巴马总统下星期二国情咨文演讲的重点议题之一。

From wealthy homes in California to the urban blight of Detroit, the income gap is growing.

从加州的富人区到底特律废弃的住宅，我们可以看到美国人的收入差距在扩大。

Minimum-wage workers recently took to the streets of Atlanta to demand more money.

在亚特兰大领取最低工资的工人们最近走上街头要求增加工资。

It’s a cause that resonates with fast food workers in Washington, including Erica Gayles.

他们的诉求得到了华盛顿这位叫艾丽卡.盖尔斯的快餐店职员的认同。

“It’s a struggle. I’m tired of struggling," she said. "I just want to live comfortably."

她说：“我在挣扎。我已经厌倦这样的生活了。我希望过上舒适的日子。”

Those struggles have caught the attention of Democrats in Washington like Iowa Senator Tom Harkin.

他们的诉求引起了国会民主党人，包括代表艾奥华州的哈金参议员的关注。

“It’s just kind of a harshness, being hard on people, especially hard on people who don’t have anything, hard on people who are at the bottom rung of the ladder," he said. "It’s not befitting a great nation."

哈金参议员说：“这是一种艰难的状况，特别是对那些没有任何财富，处于最底层的人来说特别艰难。一个伟大的国家不应该存在这种状况。”

Obama will highlight the issue in his State of the Union address.

奥巴马总统在下星期的国情咨文将重点谈到贫富差距问题。

“Restoring the American dream of opportunity for everyone who’s willing to work for it is something that should unite the country," the presiden said. "That shouldn’t divide the country. That’s what we should be aspiring to, that everybody has a shot if they are willing to work hard and take responsibility."

奥巴马总统最近在北卡罗来纳州的一次讲话中说：“全美国应该团结起来努力为勤奋工作的美国人民恢复实现梦想的机会。我们应该创造这样的社会让每一个愿意付出努力、承担责任的人都享有平等机会。”

It will also be an election year theme for Democrats, says analyst John Fortier.

无党派政策中心分析家约翰.福蒂埃说缩小贫富差距也是民主党在选举年的竞选主题。

“The larger philosophical theme of not only the economy just getting better, but it getting better for everyone," he said. "And how an economy that improves just for the rich is not one that he wants to see, I think, will be a theme of his."

福蒂埃说：“从更广义的层面来看，经济不能仅仅是转好，而是要所有的人都有好处。只对富人有益的经济好转不是他希望看到的。 我认为经济好转对所有人都有好处，这是他的一个主题。”

Opposition Republicans have a different focus, says House Speaker John Boehner.

国会众议院议长贝纳说，共和党人有不同的工作重点。

“When you look at it, the American people have a right to continue to ask the question, where are the jobs? The president has been in office now for over five years, and it’s time for the president to admit that his policies are not working," he said.

“当我们看这个问题的时候，应该想到美国人民有权质疑，工作机会在哪里？总统已经任职5年多了，现在轮到奥巴马总统来承认他的政策完全不奏效。”

Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a possible presidential contender in 2016, says individual states should take the lead on closing the income gap.

可能会在2016年参加总统大选、代表佛罗里达州的共和党参议员鲁比奥说，缩小贫富差距的工作应该由州政府带头去作。

“Washington is too bureaucratic and too resistant to change, and its ‘one size fits all’ approach is just not conducive to solving a problem as diverse and complex as this one," he said.

他说：“华盛顿过于官僚，对变革过于抗拒，而且要解决这样一个复杂多样的问题不能用不切实际的解决办法行。”

With Republicans opposed, Obama will have to work around Congress, says expert Thomas Mann.

布鲁金斯研究所研究员托马斯.曼恩说，由于共和党反对，奥巴马总统不得不绕过国会。

“He is going to have to rely much more on the authority he has as president using executive regulatory approaches and administrative initiatives and other kind of public-private ventures that don’t require legislation," said Mann.

他说：“他将不得不更多的依靠总统的职权，使用行政调控方法、行政提案以及其他不需要经过立法程序的公私合作项目。”

The president will travel to the Vatican in late March to meet with Pope Francis, and the White House says fighting poverty and income inequality will be on the agenda.

奥巴马总统3月末将到梵蒂冈与罗马天主教教宗方济各会面。白宫说，与贫困斗争和收入不均将会是双方会谈的内容之一。