奥巴马演说

THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:总统: 众议院议长先生、副总统先生、各位国会议员、贵宾们和美国同胞们：Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought -- and several thousand gave their lives.上个月，我前往安德鲁斯空军基地（Andrews Air Force Base），欢迎在伊拉克服役的最后一批军人回国。

我们一起最后骄傲地向国旗敬礼。

一百多万美国同胞曾为之作战，其中数千人献出了自己的生命。

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. (Applause.) For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. (Applause.) For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. (Applause.) Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.我们今晚聚集在此，深知这一代的英雄使得美国更安全，在全世界更受尊敬。

（掌声）现在不再有美国人在伊拉克作战，这是9年来的第一次。

（掌声）乌萨马∙本∙拉登（Osama bin Laden）不再对美国构成威胁，这是20年来的第一次。

(掌声)―基地‖的大多数头目都已溃散。

塔利班的气焰已经破灭。

驻阿富汗的一些部队已经开始撤回国内。

These achievements are a testament to the courage, selflessness and teamwork of America’s Armed Forces. At a time when too many of our institutions have let us down, they exceed all expectations. They’re not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.这些成就见证了美国军队的英勇无畏、无私和团队精神。

在我们的许多机构都让令人失望之时，他们的作为超出了所有人的期望。

他们不沉溺于个人的欲望。

他们不计较相互间的分歧。

他们全神贯注于肩负的使命。

他们为此同心协力。

Imagine what we could accomplish if we followed their example. (Applause.) Think about the America within our reach: A country that leads the world in educating its people. An Americathat attracts a new generation of high-tech manufacturing and high-paying jobs. A future where we’re in control of our own energy, and our security and prosperity aren’t so tied to unstable parts of the world. An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.可以想象，如果我们以他们为榜样，我们能完成什么样的业绩。

（掌声）想一想我们完全力所能及可以为美国实现的目标：人民接受的教育领先全世界；吸引新一代高科技制造业和高薪工作；实现我们的未来，由我们自己掌握能源，我们的安全和繁荣不再依赖世界上某些不稳定地区；经济长盛不衰，辛勤工作总有回报，尽职尽责受到奖励。

We can do this. I know we can, because we’ve done it before. At the end of World War II, when another generation of heroes returned home from combat, they built the strongest economy and middle class the world has ever known. (Applause.) My grandfather, a veteran of Patton’s Army, got the chance to go to college on the GI Bill. My grandmother, who worked on a bomber assembly line, was part of a workforce that turned out the best products on Earth.我们可以做到这一点。

我知道我们可以，因为我们曾这样做过。

二战结束时，上一代英雄离开战场返回家园，建成全世界迄今为止最强大的经济和中产阶级。

（掌声）我祖父，巴顿（Patton）麾下的老兵，有机会借助《退伍军人法》（GI Bill)上大学。

我祖母，在一个轰炸机装配线上工作，作为劳动大军的一员生产全世界第一流产品。

The two of them shared the optimism of a nation that had triumphed over a depression and fascism. They understood they were part of something larger; that they were contributing to a story of success that every American had a chance to share -- the basic American promise that if you worked hard, you could do well enough to raise a family, own a home, send your kids to college, and put a little away for retirement.他们两个人都发扬了战胜大萧条和法西斯主义的国家拥有的乐观向上的精神。

他们了解，自己是一个伟大事业的组成部分；他们为每一个美国人都有机会踏上的成功之路做出贡献——在美国可以实现最普遍的希望:你如果辛勤工作，就足以养活家庭，拥有住房，送孩子上大学，还可以为退休存点钱。

The defining issue of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. (Applause.) What’s at stake aren’t Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. And we have to reclaim them.我们这个时代的关键问题是如何让这样的希望生生不息。

没有任何挑战比这更为迫切。

没有任何争论比这更重要。

我们可以满足于这样一个国家，其中越来越少的人富甲一方而越来越多的美国人却勉强度日，或者我们可以重建我国经济，让人人都得到公平的机会，人人都尽自己的一份力量，人人都遵守同样的规则。

（掌声）利害攸关的问题不是民主党的价值观或共和党的价值观，而是美国的价值观。

我们必须重新树立这些价值观。

Let’s remember how we got here. Long before the recession, job s and manufacturing began leaving our shores. Technology made businesses more efficient, but also made some jobs obsolete. Folks at the top saw their incomes rise like never before, but most hardworking Americans struggled with costs that were growing, pay checks that weren’t, and personal debt that kept piling up.让我们谨记我们是如何走到这一步的。