U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to sign the $787 billion economic stimulus plan into law at a ceremony in the western city of Denver, Colorado on Tuesday. Mr. Obama calls it a "major milestone on the road to recovery" for the U.S. economy, while critics insist it is too expensive and will create fewer jobs than proponents insist.
美国总统奥巴马预计星期二将在西部城市丹佛签署7千870亿美元的经济刺激计划，使之成为法律。奥巴马称这个计划是美国经济“恢复增长道路上一个重要的里程碑”，但批评者坚持认为这个计划开支过大，而创造的就业机会比支持者宣称的要少。
The bill, which includes government spending and tax cuts intended to help push the U.S. economy out of recession, is the president's first big legislative victory since taking office last month.
这个包含通过政府开支和减税帮助美国经济走出衰退的法案是奥巴马上个月就任总统以来第一个重大的立法胜利。
Congress, which is controlled by Mr. Obama's Democratic Party, approved the plan on Friday, with legislators voting mostly along party lines. The Senate passed the plan with only three minority Republicans voting in favor of the bill. The plan received no Republican support in the House of Representatives.
奥巴马总统的民主党控制的国会上星期五通过了这个法案，议员们基本上是按党派立场投票。参议院表决时，只有3名反对党共和党的议员投了赞成票，而这个计划在众议院没有得到任何共和党议员的支持。
During a radio address on Saturday, President Obama said the tax cuts and domestic spending projects will create millions of jobs and spur economic growth.
奥巴马总统在星期六的一次广播讲话中指出，减税和国内开支项目将创造数百万就业机会，刺激经济增长。
"It will save or create more than 3.5 million jobs over the next two years, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and lay a new foundation for our lasting economic growth and prosperity," said Mr. Obama.
他说：“这个计划在今后两年里将挽救或创造350多万个工作机会，刺激企业和消费者开支，为持续的经济增长和繁荣奠定一个新的基础。”
The following day, White House senior adviser David Axelrod cautioned on the Fox News Sunday television program that, while there will be signs of economic activity very quickly, it could be next year before improvement shows up in government reports - particularly with respect to the nation's 7.6 percent unemployment rate.
奥巴马讲话的第二天，白宫高级顾问戴维.阿克塞尔罗德在“福克斯星期天新闻”电视节目中告诫说，虽然很快就看到经济活动的迹象，但是要等到明年，政府的报告中才会显示出经济形势有所好转，特别是在失业率方面，目前的失业率是7.6%。
"The president has said it [i.e., the economy] is likely to get worse before it gets better. It is true that, without this program, it could be much, much worse," said Axelrod. "And, so, I don't expect the arrow [i.e., jobless number] to bend down by the end of the year. But I do expect the rise in unemployment to be retarded by the things that were done this week."
阿克塞尔罗德说：“总统指出，经济在好转之前还将进一步恶化。的确，如果没有这个计划，经济形势恶化的程度可能会严重得多。因此，我不认为失业率在今年年底之前会下降。但是，我的确期待着我们这个星期采取的行动会遏制失业率的上升。”
Moody's Economy.com chief economist Mark Zandi who also appeared on Fox News Sunday said President Obama's contention that the stimulus plan will create or save 3.5 million jobs is optimistic.
穆迪投资者服务公司旗下的Economy.com的首席经济学家马克.赞迪也接受了“福克斯星期天新闻”的采访。他认为，奥巴马总统关于刺激经济计划将创造或挽救350万个工作机会的说法是乐观的。
"It will make a difference. It's a good plan and I think it will help the economy. By my estimate, it will add two to 2.5 million jobs - more than would be the case without stimulus by the end of 2010," said Zandi. "That translates into a lower unemployment rate of about a point to a 1.50 percent. So it is meaningful. But I don't think it's enough. The economy is in a very difficult situation. The difficulties require a larger package. And I think a year from now, we will be talking about stimulus again, yes."
他说：“这个计划将产生影响，这是一个好计划，我认为它对经济会有帮助。据我估算，到2010年年底，它将增加200万至250万个就业机会，比没有这个计划增加的就业机会要多。这将使失业率下降大约一个或者一个半百分点。所以还是很有意义的。但我认为这还不够。目前的经济形势非常困难，需要一个更大的计划。我认为，从现在开始的一年之内，我们会再次谈论刺激计划。”
The bill still has strong critics, including Senate Banking Committee Republican Lindsey Graham who spoke Sunday on ABC television's This Week program.
现在仍旧有人坚决反对这个法案，其中包括参议院银行委员会的共和党参议员林赛.格雷厄姆。他星期天接受了美国广播公司“这个星期”电视节目的采访。
"Eleven percent of the money in this bill hits [i.e., will be spent] in 2009. Most of the money in this bill is in entitlement spending. It's not going to create jobs. Twenty-seven percent of this bill is now tax cuts. That's down significantly," said Graham. "Now, those tax cuts, most of them, only $3 billion, goes to small business. Seventy-five percent of the people in this country work for small business. Of the $787 billion bill, $3 billion is directed to small businesspeople. I think we missed the mark a long way. We increased new government. We did not increase new jobs."
格雷厄姆说：“这个计划中11%的钱将在2009年用掉，其中大部分是专项开支，不会创造就业机会。法案的27%是减税，少了许多。现在大部分减税额度--只有30万美元--是针对小企业的。这个国家有75%的人为小企业工作，而7千870亿美元的法案中，只有30亿是针对小企业主的。我认为我们偏离目标太远了。我们增加了政府职能，却没有增加新的就业机会。”
Mr. Obama's former rival for the presidency, Republican Senator John McCain, says the President backtracked on promises of bipartisanship to get the bill passed. Former Democratic President Bill Clinton praised the stimulus package, saying it puts money in the hands of people who need it to survive - through unemployment benefits, food stamps, and tax cuts.
曾经与奥巴马竞争总统职位的共和党参议员约翰.麦凯恩说，奥巴马总统没有兑现他关于争取两党支持通过法案的承诺。前总统克林顿则赞扬说，这个经济刺激法案通过失业救济、食品券和减税，把钱交给了需要这些钱来维持生计的人。 |