VOA慢速英语2009-Economics Report - Obama Proposes $3.5 Trillion

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
　
Copies of the budget plan at the Government Printing Office in Washington

President Barack Obama on Thursday proposed his first budget to Congress. He wants to let the Bush administration's tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans end next year, replaced by a middle-class tax cut.

His other proposals include six hundred thirty-four billion dollars over ten years for health care reform. But he hopes to raise billions through a system in which businesses that release greenhouse gases would buy and trade pollution permits.

In all, his plan calls for three and a half trillion dollars in federal spending for the two thousand ten budget year starting in October. It also predicts for this year the biggest deficit¹, as a share of the economy, since World War Two: one trillion seven hundred fifty billion dollars.

But the president says he inherited a trillion-dollar deficit. And he says his team has already identified two trillion dollars in reductions to help cut the deficit in half within four years. Targets include war spending and direct payments to large agricultural businesses.

Republicans say the budget is too big and that the proposed tax increase on the wealthy would hurt small businesses.

The new president gave his first speech to Congress Tuesday night.
　
Vice² President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with President Obama

BARACK OBAMA: "We will rebuild, we will recover, and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."

He discussed the seven hundred eighty-seven billion dollars in spending and tax cuts that he signed into law last week.

BARACK OBAMA: "Over the next two years, this plan will save or create three-point-five million jobs. More than ninety percent of these jobs will be in the private sector³ -- jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges, constructing wind turbines and solar panels, laying broadband and expanding mass transit⁴."

He also discussed his budget plan for next year, saying Congress will need to sacrifice some programs but think long term.

BARACK OBAMA: "That is why, even as it cuts back on programs we don't need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education."

To answer for the opposition⁵, the Republicans chose Bobby Jindal, the young governor of Louisiana and the son of Indian immigrants. He said Republicans want to work with the president. But he said Democrats⁶ in Congress chose "irresponsible" spending over tax cuts, as Republicans proposed for the economic recovery plan.
　
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal giving the Republican response to the president's speech to a joint⁷ session of Congress

BOBBY JINDAL: "It includes three hundred million dollars to buy new cars for the government, eight billion dollars for high-speed rail projects, such as a 'magnetic levitation⁸' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland, and one hundred forty million dollars for something called 'volcano monitoring.' Instead of monitoring volcanoes, what Congress should be monitoring is the eruption⁹ of spending in Washington, D.C."

Stock prices in the United States hit twelve-year lows this week.

And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

4 transit   

n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过

参考例句：

• His luggage was lost in transit.他的行李在运送中丢失。
• The canal can transit a total of 50 ships daily.这条运河每天能通过50条船。

5 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

6 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》

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 levitation   

n.升空，漂浮；浮起

参考例句：

• We are particularly interested in phenomena such as telepathy and levitation. 我们对心灵感应及空中漂浮这样的现象特别有兴趣。 来自辞典例句
• This paper presents a magnetic levitation system control using the gain-scheduling controller. 本文以增益程序控制器针对磁浮系统进行控制。 来自互联网

9 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。