愛薇塔樂學英文

 【美國總統電臺演講】2013-05-11（雙語）

美國總統每週電臺演講：華盛頓白宮奧巴馬演講

WEEKLY ADDRESS: Growing the Housing Market and Supporting our Homeowners

WASHINGTON, DC— In this week’s address, President Obama said seven years after the real estate bubble burst, our housing market is healing.  The administration’s policies have helped responsible homeowners save money on their mortgages and stay in their homes, and the President’s consumer watchdog agency is working to protect consumers from being taken advantage of on their mortgages, but there is still more work to do.  The President urges Congress to quickly confirm Mel Watt to lead the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and take action to give every responsible homeowner the chance to refinance and save money on their mortgage, so that we can keep growing the housing market, support working families, and strengthen the economy.

Remarks of President Barack Obama 
Weekly Address
The White House
MAY 11, 2013

Hi, everybody. Our top priority as a nation is reigniting the true engine of our economic growth – a rising, thriving middle class. And few things define what it is to be middle class in America more than owning your own cornerstone of the American Dream: a home.

Today, seven years after the real estate bubble burst, triggering the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression and costing millions of responsible Americans their jobs and their homes, our housing market is healing. Sales are up. Foreclosures are down. Construction is expanding. And thanks to rising home prices over the past year, 1.7 million more American families have been able to come up for air, because they’re no longer underwater on their mortgages.

From the day I took office, I’ve made it a priority to help responsible homeowners and prevent the kind of recklessness that helped cause this crisis in the first place.

My housing plan has already helped more than two million people refinance their mortgages, and they’re saving an average of $3000 per year.

My new consumer watchdog agency is moving forward on protections like a simpler, shorter mortgage form that will help to keep hard-working families from getting ripped off.

But we ’ ve still got more work to do. We ’ ve got more responsible homeowners to help – folks who have never missed a mortgage payment, but aren’ t allowed to refinance; working families who have done everything right, but still owe more on their homes than they’re worth.

Last week, I nominated a man named Mel Watt to take on these challenges as the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Mel’s represented the people of North Carolina in Congress for 20 years, and in that time, he helped lead efforts to put in place rules of the road that protect consumers from dishonest mortgage lenders, and give responsible Americans the chance to own their own home. He’s the right person for the job, and that ’ s why Congress should do its job, and confirm him without delay.

And they shouldn’t stop there. As I said before, more than two million Americans have already refinanced at today’s low rates, but we can do a lot better than that. I’ve called on Congress to give every responsible homeowner the chance to refinance, and with it, the opportunity to save $3,000 a year. That’s like a $3,000 tax cut. And if you’re one of the millions of Americans who could take advantage of that, you should ask your representative in Congress why they won’t act on it.

Our economy and our housing market are poised for progress – but we could do so much more if we work together. More good jobs. Greater security for middle-class families. A sense that your hard work is rewarded. That’s what I’m fighting for – and that’s what I’m going to keep fighting for as long as I hold this office.

Thank you. And have a great weekend.

大家好。我們作為一個國家的第一要務就是重新啟動我們的經濟增長的真正引擎—一個發展繁榮的中產階級。在美國沒有什麼比擁有美國夢的基石—一套房子更能定義中產階級了。

今天，引發這場自大蕭條以來最嚴重的經濟危機和造成幾百萬負責任的美國人喪失工作和住房的房地產泡沫破裂七年之後，我們的住房市場正在回暖。銷量增加。喪失抵押品贖回權的減少。基建規模擴大。多虧了過去幾年房價上漲，超過一百七十萬個家庭解套，他們已經無法忍受被套牢的抵押壓得喘不過氣的日子了。

自從我就任以來，我一直把幫助負責任的房主們和防止最初引發這場危機的草率發生作為我的要務。

我的住房計畫已經幫助兩百萬人重新投資他們的抵押貸款（按揭），他們平均每年可以節省3,000美元。

我新設立的消費者權益保護機構正在推進諸如更簡潔、更短期的抵押貸款形式，這將幫助勤奮工作的家庭上當受騙。

但是我們還有更多工作要做。我們還要幫助更多的負責任的家庭—他們中有些一次沒有延誤還款，但是不能重新投資於他們的抵押貸款；有些工薪家庭沒有任何錯誤，但是他們支付的房款要比他們應付的多。

上周，我任命了麥爾-瓦特擔任聯邦住房財政署署長應對這些挑戰。麥爾代表北卡羅來納州任國會議員已經二十年了，那時他就協助領導了實施防止消費者上不誠信放貸人當，給負責任的美國人獲得自己住房機會的努力。他是這個崗位最合適的人選，這就是為什麼國會應該立刻行動，毫不遲疑地批准對他的任命。

他們不應該就此止步。正如我過去所說，超過兩百萬美國人已經按今天的利率重新投資於他們的抵押貸款了，但是我們可以做得遠遠比這好。我已經提請國會給每個負責任的房主重新投資的機會，這個機會可以讓他們每年節省3,000美元。這如同一個3,000美元的減稅。如果你是幾百萬因此受益的美國人之一，你就應該問問你的國會代表為什麼不就此採取行動。

我們的經濟和住房市場正在蓄勢待發—但是如果我們共同努力我們可以做得多得多—更多好的就業機會，給中產階級家庭更多安全感，努力工作就會得到回報的意識。這就是我為之奮鬥的—這就是我只要還在這個崗位上就要繼續為之奮鬥的。

謝謝，週末快樂。