Protecting Americans(2)
文章来源:未知 文章作者:meng 发布时间:2009-12-28 00:56 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)

THE PRESIDENT:  Good afternoon, everybody.  I've just finished a candid1公正的,率直的 and productive meeting with the CEOs of 12 of our nation's largest financial institutions.  I asked them to come to Washington today -- at the end of this difficult year for their industry, but also for the economy -- to discuss where we've been, what we expect of them going forward, and how we can work together to accelerate economic recovery.

Our nation's banks play, and have always played, a crucial role in our national economy -- from providing loans for homes and cars and colleges; to supplying the capital that allows entrepreneurs企业家 to turn ideas into products and businesses to grow; to helping2 people save for a rainy day and a secure retirement退休,退役.  So it's clear that each of us has a stake in ensuring the strength and the vitality3活力,生气 of the financial system.

And that's why one year ago, when many of these institutions were on the verge4 of边缘 collapse5 -- a predicament状态,困境 largely of their own making, oftentimes because they failed to manage risk properly -- we took difficult, and, frankly6, unpopular steps to pull them back from the brink7边缘, steps that were necessary not just to save our financial system, but to save our economy as a whole.

Today, due to the timely loans from the American people, our financial system has stabilized8, the stock market has sprung back to life, our economy is growing, and our banks are once again recording9 profits.  A year ago, many doubted that we would ever recover these investments, but we've managed this program well.  This morning, another major bank announced that it would be repaying taxpayers10 in full, and when they do, we'll have collected 60 percent of the money owed -- with interest.  We expect other institutions to follow suit跟着做,学样, and we are determined11 to recover every last dime12 for the American taxpayers.

So my main message in today's meeting was very simple:  that America's banks received extraordinary assistance from American taxpayers to rebuild their industry -- and now that they're back on their feet, we expect an extraordinary commitment from them to help rebuild our economy.

That starts with finding ways to help creditworthy有信誉的 small and medium-size businesses get the loans that they need to open their doors, grow their operations, and create new jobs.  This is something I hear about from business owners and entrepreneurs across America -- that despite their best efforts, they're unable to get loans.  At the same time, I've been hearing from bankers that they're willing to lend, but face a shortage of creditworthy individuals and businesses.

Now, no one wants banks making the kinds of risky13 loans that got us into this situation in the first place.  And it's true that regulators are requiring them to hold more of their capital as a hedge against the kind of problems that we saw last year.  But given the difficulty businesspeople are having as lending has declined, and given the exceptional assistance banks received to get them through a difficult time, we expect them to explore every responsible way to help get our economy moving again.

And I heard from these executives that they are engaging in various programs like "second look" programs, hiring more folks, raising their target goals in terms of lending -- all of which sounded positive, but we expect some results, because I'm getting too many letters from small businesses who explain that they are creditworthy and banks that they've had a long-term relationship with are still having problems giving them loans.  We think that's something that we can -- that can be fixed14.  And so I urged these institutions here today to go back and take a third and fourth look about how they are operating when it comes to small business and medium-sized business lending.

We also discussed the need to pass meaningful financial reform that will protect American consumers from exploitation and American -- the American economy from another financial crisis of the kind which we just came out of.

I noted15 the resistance of many of the financial sectors16 to these reforms -- the industry has lobbied vigorously against some of them -- some of these reforms on Capitol Hill.  So I made it clear that it is both in the country's interest -- and ultimately, in the financial industry's interest -- to have updated rules of the road to prevent abuse and excess.  Short-term gains are of little value to our banks if they lead to long-term chaos17 in the economy.

And I made very clear that I have no intention of letting their lobbyists thwart18 reforms necessary to protect the American people.  If they wish to fight common-sense consumer protections, that's a fight I'm more than willing to have.

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The way I see it, having recovered with the help of the American government and the American taxpayers, our banks now have a greater obligation to the goal of a wider recovery, a more stable system, and more broadly shared prosperity.

So I urged them to work with us in Congress to finish the job of reforming our financial system to bring transparency and accountability to the financial markets; to ensure that the failure of one bank or financial institution won't spread throughout the entire system, and to help protect consumers from misleading and dishonest practices with products like credit and debit19 cards, with mortgages and auto20 and payday loans.

Now, I should note that around the table all the financial industry executives said they supported financial regulatory reform.  The problem is there's a big gap between what I'm hearing here in the White House and the activities of lobbyists on behalf of these institutions or associations of which they're a member up on Capitol Hill.  I urged them to close that gap, and they assured me that they would make every effort to do so.

In the end, my interest isn't in vilifying21 any one person or institution or industry; it's not to dictate22 to them or micromanage their compensation practices to ensure that consumers and -- my job is to ensure that consumers and the larger economy are protected from risky speculation23 and predatory practices, that credit is flowing, that businesses can grow, and jobs are once again being created at the pace we need.

Some of the banks and financial institutions have taken small but positive steps to improve lending to small and medium-sized businesses, as I indicated.  They've begun reworking mortgages that are now underwater because of declining home values, and they have acknowledged that much more needs to be done going forward.  Many have begun to follow our lead in shifting from paying huge cash bonuses to awarding long-term stock, which will encourage more prudent24 decision-making -- but, as I indicated in this meeting, they certainly could be doing more on this front as well.

These efforts reflect a recognition ultimately that the fate of our financial institutions is tied to the fate of our economy and our country -- and these institutions can't endure if workers don't have jobs, and businesses can't grow, and consumers don't have money to spend.  Ultimately, in this country, we rise and fall together -- banks and small businesses, consumers and large corporations, and we have a shared interest in working together to ensure a lasting25 recovery that will benefit all of us and not just some of us.

I called today's meeting with this in mind, and I told the group that I look forward to continued engagement and progress in the months and years ahead.

Thank you.

END
12:46 P.M. EST



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 candid SsRzS     
adj.公正的,正直的;坦率的
参考例句:
  • I cannot but hope the candid reader will give some allowance for it.我只有希望公正的读者多少包涵一些。
  • He is quite candid with his friends.他对朋友相当坦诚。
2 helping 2rGzDc     
n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的,辅助的
参考例句:
  • The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
  • By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。
3 vitality lhAw8     
n.活力,生命力,效力
参考例句:
  • He came back from his holiday bursting with vitality and good health.他度假归来之后,身强体壮,充满活力。
  • He is an ambitious young man full of enthusiasm and vitality.他是个充满热情与活力的有远大抱负的青年。
4 verge gUtzQ     
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。
5 collapse aWvyE     
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷
参考例句:
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。
6 frankly fsXzcf     
adv.坦白地,直率地;坦率地说
参考例句:
  • To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说,我一点也不赞成这个主意。
  • Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说,我不反对改革。
7 brink OWazM     
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿
参考例句:
  • The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
  • The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。
8 stabilized 02f3efdac3635abcf70576f3b5d20e56     
v.(使)稳定, (使)稳固( stabilize的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The patient's condition stabilized. 患者的病情稳定下来。
  • His blood pressure has stabilized. 他的血压已经稳定下来了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
9 recording UktzJj     
n.录音,记录
参考例句:
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
10 taxpayers 8fa061caeafce8edc9456e95d19c84b4     
纳税人,纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
  • She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。
11 determined duszmP     
adj.坚定的;有决心的
参考例句:
  • I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
  • He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。
12 dime SuQxv     
n.(指美国、加拿大的钱币)一角
参考例句:
  • A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
  • The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。
13 risky IXVxe     
adj.有风险的,冒险的
参考例句:
  • It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow.这可能有危险,但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
  • He is well aware how risky this investment is.他心里对这项投资的风险十分清楚。
14 fixed JsKzzj     
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的
参考例句:
  • Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗?
  • Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定,我们就不应该随意改变。
15 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
16 sectors 218ffb34fa5fb6bc1691e90cd45ad627     
n.部门( sector的名词复数 );领域;防御地区;扇形
参考例句:
  • Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
17 chaos 7bZyz     
n.混乱,无秩序
参考例句:
  • After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后,城市一片混乱。
  • The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。
18 thwart wIRzZ     
v.阻挠,妨碍,反对;adj.横(断的)
参考例句:
  • We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
  • I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。
19 debit AOdzV     
n.借方,借项,记人借方的款项
参考例句:
  • To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方?
  • We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱,只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。
20 auto ZOnyW     
n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车
参考例句:
  • Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
  • The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。
21 vilifying 92743e349271d5779d0776a39cab8279     
v.中伤,诽谤( vilify的现在分词 )
参考例句:
  • A: But he is vilifying you! You should fight back. 可他是在诋毁你啊!你应该还击。 来自互联网
22 dictate fvGxN     
v.口授;(使)听写;指令,指示,命令
参考例句:
  • It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
  • What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令?
23 speculation 9vGwe     
n.思索,沉思;猜测;投机
参考例句:
  • Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
  • There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。
24 prudent M0Yzg     
adj.谨慎的,有远见的,精打细算的
参考例句:
  • A prudent traveller never disparages his own country.聪明的旅行者从不贬低自己的国家。
  • You must school yourself to be modest and prudent.你要学会谦虚谨慎。
25 lasting IpCz02     
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持
参考例句:
  • The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
  • We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。
TAG标签: economy financial American
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