美国总统电台演讲.docx

1、美国总统电台演讲Prepared Remarks of President BarackObama Weekly Address Saturday,January 9th, 2010A year ago, when I took office in the midst of the worst recession since the Great Depression, I promised you two things. The first was that there would be better days ahead. And the second was that the road t

2、o recovery would be long, and sometimes bumpy.That was brought home again yesterday. We learned that in November, our economy saw its first month of job gains in nearly two years but last month, we lost more than we gained. Now, we know that no single month makes a trend, and job losses for the fina

3、l quarter of 2009 were one-tenth what they were in the first quarter. But until we see a trend of good, sustainable job creation, we will be relentless in our efforts to put America back to work.That task goes even deeper than replacing the seven million jobs that have been lost over the past two ye

4、ars. We need to rebuild our economy in such a way that our families can feel a measure of security again. Too many of the folks Ive talked with this year, and whose stories I read in letters at night, tell me that theyve known their own private recessions since long before economists declared one an

5、d theyll still feel the recession long after economists have declared it over.Thats because, for decades, Washington avoided doing what was right in favor of doing what was easy. And the result was an economy where some made out well, but the middle class too often took a beating.Over the past decad

6、e, the income of the average household actually declined, and we lost as many jobs as we created. Hardworking folks who did everything right suddenly found themselves forced to downscale their dreams because of economic factors beyond their control. Were talking about simple dreams. American dreams.

7、 A good job with a good wage. A secure and dignified retirement. Stable health care so you dont go broke just because you get sick. The chance to give our kids a better shot than we got.Thats why, as we begin to emerge from this crisis, we will not return to the complacency that helped cause it. Eve

8、n as we focus on putting America back to work today, were building a new foundation for our economy to create the good, lasting jobs and shared prosperity of tomorrow.Were making historic investments in science and in a clean energy economy that will generate and keep the jobs and industries of the

9、future right here in America.Were reforming our education system, so that our kids are fully prepared to compete with workers anywhere in the world and win the race for the 21st century.Were fixing our broken health insurance system thats crushing families, eating away at workers take-home pay, and

10、nailing small businesses with double-digit premium increases.And thats what Id like to focus on for a minute. After a long and thorough debate, we are on the verge of passing health insurance reform that will finally offer Americans the security of knowing theyll have quality, affordable health care

11、 whether they lose their job, change jobs, move, or get sick. The worst practices of the insurance industry will be banned forever. And costs will finally come down for families, businesses, and our government.Now, itll take a few years to fully implement these reforms in a responsible way. But what

12、 every American should know is that once I sign health insurance reform into law, there are dozens of protections and benefits that will take effect this year.Uninsured Americans with a pre-existing illness or condition will finally be able to purchase coverage they can afford.Children with pre-exis

13、ting conditions will no longer be refused coverage, and young adults will be able to stay on their parents policy until theyre 26 or 27 years old.Small business owners who cant afford to cover their employees will be immediately offered tax credits to purchase coverage.Early retirees who receive cov

14、erage from their employers will see their coverage protected and their premiums go down.Seniors who fall into the coverage gap known as the donut hole will receive discounts of up to 50 percent on their prescriptions as we begin to close that gap altogether.And every patients choice of doctor will b

15、e protected, along with access to emergency care.Heres what else will happen within the first year. Insurance plans will be required to offer free preventive care to their customers so that we can start catching preventable illnesses and diseases on the front end. Theyll no longer be allowed to impo

16、se restrictive annual limits on the amount of coverage you receive or lifetime limits on the amount of benefits you receive. Theyll be prohibited from dropping your coverage when you get sick and need it most. And there will be a new, independent appeals process for anyone who feels they were unfairly denied a claim by their insurance company.In short, once I sign h