VOA标准英语2009年-Anger Beyond Health Care Debate Fuels Emot

The ongoing¹ national debate over health care reform in the United States has given way to angry and at times chaotic² displays of emotion at town hall meetings sponsored by congressional Democrats³. But the anger and fear on display goes beyond concerns about medical care.
　
Protesters against President Barack Obama's health care plan cheer at a rally in Grand Junction⁴, Colorado, 15 Aug 2009

President Barack Obama's plans for health care reform have clearly touched a nerve in town hall meetings around the country.

"People want less government. That is what they don't get. We want 'leave us alone,'" said an Iowa town hall participant.

But in many of these meetings, the anger and fear on display suggests concerns far beyond just the health care issue.

"This is about the systematic⁵ dismantling⁶ of this country. You have awakened⁷ a sleeping giant. We are tired of this. This is why everybody in this room is so ticked off. I don't want this country turning into Russia, turning into a socialized country," one Pennsylvania town hall participant said.

Conservatives around the country have seized on the forums⁸ as an opportunity to vent⁹ about a number of social concerns.

"We didn't stand up and what happened? They took prayer out of the schools and replaced it with drugs. We didn't stand up and we got legalized abortion¹⁰ and they are killing¹¹ babies. And if we don't stand up now, God help us," said one woman.

Supporters of health care reform have found some of the meetings so chaotic that they have chosen to remain silent.

"I think many of us were a silent majority in a format¹² like this. We want health care reform but we aren't going to get into shouting matches with people," another woman said.

President Obama noted¹³ the intense emotions on display during a recent town meeting on health care in Montana.
　
President Obama at town hall meeting, 14 Aug. 2009

"I know there has been a lot of attention paid to some of the town hall meetings that are going on around the country, especially when tempers flare¹⁴. TV loves a ruckus," Mr. Obama said.

Some Democrats are hitting back, accusing some of the protestors of trying to undermine democracy.

This is New York Democratic Congressman¹⁵ Jerold Nadler.

"The intent is not to debate the members of Congress. The intent is to make sure that no one can discuss anything. The intent is to shout them down, to prevent intelligent discussion. That, frankly¹⁶, is anti-democratic and is a fascist¹⁷ tactic¹⁸ and it is just wrong," Nadler said.

Political experts believe the furious national debate over health care has quickly broadened into an argument over how much government involvement there should be in the economy.

David Gergen served as a White House advisor¹⁹ to four presidents and now lectures on public service at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

"It is clear that not only are some of the opponents of health care moved by the health care debate, but they are also really worried about the direction the president is going, how fast he is going, how much government they see, how much deficit-spending they see," Gergen said.

The debate has taken an ugly turn at times. Some protestors carry signs comparing the Obama administration with Nazi²⁰ Germany, and fringe elements still question whether the president is really a U.S. citizen, despite the fact that he has an official birth cirtificate on file with the state of Hawaii and birth announcements were printed shortly after he was born.

But protesters like this man are unconvinced.

"In summary, the man calling himself Barack Hussein Obama has no real birth certificate issued by the United States," the man said in an Internet video blog.

In addition to these opinions, a civil rights group warns in a new report that anti-government militia²¹ groups, some with extreme views, appear to be growing, fueled by a poor economy and racial fears about the first African-American president.

A militia group in Ohio posted a video on the Internet of a man with an altered voice holding a semi-automatic assault rifle.

"Listen, people, things are bad. Things are real bad and it is going to get a lot worse. So basically, you people need to wake up and start buying some of these," said the militia member.

Anti-government militia activity in the U.S. reached a peak in the early 1990s following a clash between law enforcement agencies and an armed religious group in Waco, Texas that left more than 70 people dead.
　
Mark Brady waits in line hoping to attend a town hall meeting on health care led by Democratic Sen. Arlen Specter in State College, PA, 12 Aug 2009

Mark Potok monitors militia activity for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

"Because these groups see the federal government as the primary enemy, and the government today has a face that is black in the form of President Obama, that has really radicalized portions of the movement. There is a lot more feeling of, you know, this country is being taken away from us by people who don't look like us," Potok said.

Pollster Lee Miringoff with Marist University in New York says the country is sharply divided over the Obama health care reform plan.

But he says the anger and fear on display around the country are symptomatic of deeper concerns about the future of the country.

"People are not feeling especially secure about their own economic lives, about the health care that is available to them. So there is a fear and I think that is what this change is tapping into, a grumpy, worried national audience that is very, very concerned that somehow when their lives are somewhat fragile, things are going to even erode²² or crack further," said Miringoff.

In the short term, analyst²³ David Gergen believes the outbursts at the town hall meetings have put the Obama administration on the defensive²⁴.

"The passion that has come out is, I think, diminishing the prospects²⁵, diminishing the chances that the president will succeed. I think they are having some political effect that is negative for the White House," Gergen said.

Experts say the political impact of the town meetings on Congress will be better measured once lawmakers return to Washington next month.

 

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 junction   

n.连接，接合；交叉点，接合处，枢纽站

参考例句：

• There's a bridge at the junction of the two rivers.两河的汇合处有座桥。
• You must give way when you come to this junction.你到了这个路口必须让路。

5 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

6 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

7 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 forums   

讨论会； 座谈会； 广播专题讲话节目； 集会的公共场所( forum的名词复数 )； 论坛，讨论会，专题讨论节目； 法庭

参考例句：

• A few of the forums were being closely monitored by the administrators. 有些论坛被管理员严密监控。
• It can cast a dark cloud over these forums. 它将是的论坛上空布满乌云。

9 vent   

n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄

参考例句：

• He gave vent to his anger by swearing loudly.他高声咒骂以发泄他的愤怒。
• When the vent became plugged,the engine would stop.当通风口被堵塞时，发动机就会停转。

10 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

11 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

12 format   

n.设计，版式；[计算机]格式，DOS命令:格式化(磁盘)，用于空盘或使用过的磁盘建立新空盘来存储数据；v.使格式化，设计，安排

参考例句：

• Please format this floppy disc.请将这张软盘格式化。
• The format of the figure is very tasteful.该图表的格式很雅致。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

15 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

16 frankly   

adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说

参考例句：

• To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
• Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。

17 fascist   

adj.法西斯主义的；法西斯党的；n.法西斯主义者，法西斯分子

参考例句：

• The strikers were roughed up by the fascist cops.罢工工人遭到法西斯警察的殴打。
• They succeeded in overthrowing the fascist dictatorship.他们成功推翻了法西斯独裁统治。

18 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

19 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

20 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

21 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

22 erode   

v.侵蚀，腐蚀，使...减少、减弱或消失

参考例句：

• Once exposed,soil is quickly eroded by wind and rain.一旦暴露在外，土壤很快就会被风雨侵蚀。
• Competition in the financial marketplace has eroded profits.金融市场的竞争降低了利润。

23 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

24 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

25 prospects   

n.希望，前途(恒为复数)

参考例句：

• There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
• They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。