Obama State of the Union Speech Focuses on Economy

　　U.S. President Barack Obama is urging Americans to overcome a deficit of trust in government and work together to solve a damaged economy and other problems. The economy was high on the president's list of priorities in his annual State of the Union address Wednesday night.

　　Mr. Obama acknowledged that many Americans are frustrated and angry, doubting whether he can deliver the change he promised in his 2008 campaign. But he said change is not easy, and he will continue to pursue it.

　　"We do not quit. I do not quit. Let us seize this moment-to start anew, to carry the dream forward, and to strengthen our union once more," he said.

　　In his hour-long speech before both houses of Congress, the president several times confronted the public anger that has caused his approval ratings to slide.

　　"We have to recognize that we face more than a deficit of dollars right now. We face a deficit of trust-deep and corrosive doubts about how Washington works that have been growing for years," he said.

　　Much of Americans' frustration concerns the nation's stubborn 10-percent unemployment rate. Mr. Obama called for a number of initiatives to address the problem and urged the Senate to join the House of Representatives in passing a second jobs bill.

　　"People are out of work. They are hurting. They need our help. And, I want a jobs bill on my desk without delay," he said.

　　Among the president's economic goals are doubling U.S. exports in five years and freezing most domestic government spending for three years, starting in 2011.

　　Mr. Obama also urged Democratic lawmakers not to abandon the effort to reform the U.S. health care system, one of his administration's main priorities.

　　"Do not walk away from reform. Not now. Not when we are so close. Let us find a way to come together and finish the job for the American people," he said.

　　On foreign policy, President Obama again pledged to remove all U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the end of August. "But make no mistake: this war is ending, and all of our troops are coming home," Mr. Obama said.

　　He also said he is confident the United States will succeed in the war in Afghanistan and that diplomatic efforts are helping isolate Iran and North Korea for their pursuit of nuclear weapons.

　　The Republican Party's response to the president's speech came from the governor of the state of Virginia, Bob McDonnell. He said Democrats are spending too much and causing an unsustainable level of debt.

　　"What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class," McDonnell said.

　　He also said Americans want affordable health care, but do not want the government to run it.

　　McDonnell is one of several Republicans who recently won elections in states the Democrats swept in 2008.

    翻译：

　　美国总统奥巴马敦促美国人民克服对政府缺乏信任的现象，团结一致解决受挫的经济问题和其他问题。在周三晚发表的年度国情咨文中，奥巴马将经济问题列为重中之重。

　　奥巴马承认，许多美国人非常沮丧，非常气愤，他们怀疑奥巴马能否实现他在2008年竞选期间承诺的变革。但是他表示，变革并不容易，他将继续追寻。

　　“我们不会停止，我不会停止。让我们抓住此时此刻——重新开始，继续实现梦想，再次加强我们的团结。”

　　在国会两院面前进行的长达一小时的讲话中，奥巴马总统几次面临公众的愤怒，这使他的支持率出现下滑。

　　“我们不得不认识到，我们现在面临的不只是财政赤字。我们面临着信任危机——人们对华盛顿的工作存在深切的怀疑，这种怀疑已经滋长了几年的时间。”

　　美国人的担忧大多与居高不下的10%的失业率有关。奥巴马总统呼吁采取一系列项目解决这个问题，敦促参议院与众议院一起通过第二部就业岗位法案。

　　“人们失业了，他们受到伤害，他们需要我们的帮助。我希望尽快有一份创造就业机会的法案提交过来。”

　　奥巴马的经济目标还包括，五年之内，使美国的出口量翻倍，从2011年开始，冻结大部分政府支出三年时间。

　　奥巴马还敦促民主党立法者不要放弃改革美国医疗体系的努力，这是奥巴马政府的主要工作之一。

　　“不要放弃改革。现在不要，我们已经如此接近成功。让我们寻找一个折衷的方法，为美国人民完成这项工作。”

　　在外交政策方面，奥巴马总统再次承诺在8月底之前从伊拉克撤出所有美国作战部队。“但是别弄错：战争即将结束，我们的所有军队都将回国。”

　　他还表示，他相信，美国将会在阿富汗战争中获胜，外交努力正在帮助孤立伊朗和朝鲜等追求核武器的国家。

　　佛吉尼亚州长Bob McDonnell代表了共和党对总统讲话的反应。他说，民主党耗费了太多资金，导致不可持续的债务水平。

　　“政府不应该做的是积累更多税金，监管和控诉，这都减少了工作岗位，伤害了中产阶级。”

　　他还说，美国人需要能够支付的医疗保障，但是不希望政府来运营。

　　最近，几名共和党人在2008年民主党获胜的州赢得了选举，McDonnell就是其中之一。