So what does middle-class economics require in our time?

那么，如今中產(chǎn)階級經(jīng)濟(jì)需要的是什么呢？

First, middle-class economics means helping working families feel more secure in a world of constant change. That means helping folks afford childcare, college, health care, a home, retirement. And my budget will address each of these issues, lowering the taxes of working families and putting thousands of dollars back into their pockets each year.

首先，中產(chǎn)階級經(jīng)濟(jì)意味著幫助勞工家庭在一個不斷變化的世界中感到更安全。這意味著幫助他們支付育兒費、大學(xué)學(xué)費、醫(yī)保、住宅和退休費用——我的預(yù)算案將分別應(yīng)對這些問題，削減勞工家庭的稅收以及每年把數(shù)千美元放回他們的口袋。

Here's one example. During World War II, when men like my grandfather went off to war, having women like my grandmother in the workforce was a national security priority -- so this country provided universal childcare. In today's economy, when having both parents in the workforce is an economic necessity for many families, we need affordable, high-quality childcare more than ever.

舉一個例子。在二戰(zhàn)時期，像我祖父一樣的男子們奔赴戰(zhàn)場，在這種情況下，讓像我祖母一樣的女子們?nèi)スぷ鳎统蔀榫S護(hù)國家安全的優(yōu)先選擇，因此，美國實行了普遍托兒制度。在今天的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況下，對很多家庭而言，父母都有工作在經(jīng)濟(jì)上是必需的，我們比以往任何時候都更需要能夠負(fù)擔(dān)得起的高質(zhì)量托兒服務(wù)。

It's not a nice-to-have -- it's a must-have. So it's time we stop treating childcare as a side issue, or as a women's issue, and treat it like the national economic priority that it is for all of us. And that's why my plan will make quality childcare more available and more affordable for every middle-class and low-income family with young children in America -- by creating more slots and a new tax cut of up to $3,000 per child, per year.

這不是為了好看而做，而是必須要做。現(xiàn)在，我們應(yīng)當(dāng)停止把托兒服務(wù)看做一個枝節(jié)問題或婦女問題，應(yīng)當(dāng)把這個問題看做人人有責(zé)的國家經(jīng)濟(jì)當(dāng)務(wù)之急。這就是為什么我計劃創(chuàng)造更多機(jī)會，并且每年再為每個孩子提供最多3千美元免稅額度，為每個有小孩的美國中產(chǎn)階級家庭和低收入家庭提供更容易得到、更容易負(fù)擔(dān)的高質(zhì)量托兒服務(wù)。

Here's another example. Today, we are the only advanced country on Earth that doesn't guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave to our workers. Forty-three million workers have no paid sick leave -- 43 million. Think about that. And that forces too many parents to make the gut-wrenching choice between a paycheck and a sick kid at home. So I'll be taking new action to help states adopt paid leave laws of their own. And since paid sick leave won where it was on the ballot last November, let's put it to a vote right here in Washington. Send me a bill that gives every worker in America the opportunity to earn seven days of paid sick leave. It's the right thing to do. It's the right thing to do.

我再舉一個例子，今天，美國是唯一一個不向我們員工保證帶薪病假或產(chǎn)假的發(fā)達(dá)國家。4300萬員工不能享受帶薪病假。4300萬人！想想吧，這迫使太多父母在工資和生病的孩子之間作出艱難選擇。所以我將采取新措施，以幫助各州通過各自的帶薪病假法案。帶薪病假去年11月在數(shù)州的投票中獲得通過，讓我們在華盛頓就此進(jìn)行投票。向我提交一份讓美國的所有員工獲得7天帶薪病假的提案吧，這是一件正確的事情。

Of course, nothing helps families make ends meet like higher wages. That's why this Congress still needs to pass a law that makes sure a woman is paid the same as a man for doing the same work. It's 2015. (Laughter.) It's time. We still need to make sure employees get the overtime they've earned. And to everyone in this Congress who still refuses to raise the minimum wage, I say this: If you truly believe you could work full-time and support a family on less than $15,000 a year, try it. If not, vote to give millions of the hardest-working people in America a raise.

當(dāng)然，最能幫助家庭維持生計的就是提高工資。這就是為什么本屆國會仍需通過一項法律，以確保男女同工同酬。的確，現(xiàn)在是2015年了。是時候了。我們?nèi)孕璐_保雇員能得到加班費。對本屆國會中那些仍然拒絕提高最低工資的人，我要說：如果你真的相信你能全職工作，同時在年收入低于一萬五千美元的情況下支撐一個家庭，那么就請試一試。如果你做不到，就請投票贊成提高工作最辛苦的大量美國人的工資。

Now, these ideas won't make everybody rich, won't relieve every hardship. That's not the job of government. To give working families a fair shot, we still need more employers to see beyond next quarter's earnings and recognize that investing in their workforce is in their company's long-term interest. We still need laws that strengthen rather than weaken unions, and give American workers a voice.

當(dāng)然，這些想法不會使所有人富有，或者緩解所有困難，這不是政府的工作。為了給工薪家庭一個公平的機(jī)會，我們需要更多的雇主不要只看到下個季度的收入報表，他們應(yīng)當(dāng)意識到投資于自己的員工符合美國的長遠(yuǎn)利益。我們?nèi)孕枰獜?qiáng)化而非弱化工會的法律，給美國工人發(fā)言權(quán)。

But you know, things like childcare and sick leave and equal pay; things like lower mortgage premiums and a higher minimum wage -- these ideas will make a meaningful difference in the lives of millions of families. That's a fact. And that's what all of us, Republicans and Democrats alike, were sent here to do.

托兒、帶薪病假、同工同酬、降低房貸、更高的最低工資，這些想法將使數(shù)百萬家庭發(fā)生有意義的變化。這是一個事實。這是人們將我們所有人，共和黨人和民主黨人送到華盛頓來的目的。

Second, to make sure folks keep earning higher wages down the road, we have to do more to help Americans upgrade their skills. America thrived in the 20th century because we made high school free, sent a generation of GIs to college, trained the best workforce in the world. We were ahead of the curve. But other countries caught on. And in a 21st century economy that rewards knowledge like never before, we need to up our game. We need to do more.

第二，為了確保美國人能夠在未來不斷提高工資，我們需要進(jìn)一步幫助美國人提高技能。20世紀(jì)是美國騰飛的世紀(jì)，因為我們?nèi)∠烁咧袑W(xué)費，將一代士兵送入大學(xué)，并培養(yǎng)了世界上最優(yōu)秀的勞動力。但在21世紀(jì)，在這個比以往更加重視知識的世紀(jì)，我們需要更加努力。

By the end of this decade, two in three job openings will require some higher education -- two in three. And yet, we still live in a country where too many bright, striving Americans are priced out of the education they need. It's not fair to them, and it's sure not smart for our future. That's why I'm sending this Congress a bold new plan to lower the cost of community college -- to zero.

到這個年代末，三分之二的工作都要求一些高等教育。三分之二。而現(xiàn)在，在我們的國家，仍然有太多聰明的、努力奮斗的美國人無錢支付他們所需的教育。這對他們太不公平，對我們的未來也不利。正因為如此，我向國會提交了一份大膽的議案，將社區(qū)學(xué)校的學(xué)費全部減免。

Keep in mind 40 percent of our college students choose community college. Some are young and starting out. Some are older and looking for a better job. Some are veterans and single parents trying to transition back into the job market. Whoever you are, this plan is your chance to graduate ready for the new economy without a load of debt. Understand, you've got to earn it. You've got to keep your grades up and graduate on time.

我們40%的大學(xué)生選擇社區(qū)大學(xué)，一些學(xué)生是年輕人，剛剛起步，一些人年紀(jì)大一些，想尋找一份更好的工作。一些人是退伍士兵，一些人是試圖重新過渡至就業(yè)市場的單親父母。不管你是誰，我們的計劃是讓你可以在沒有大量負(fù)債的情況下畢業(yè)，為新經(jīng)濟(jì)作好準(zhǔn)備。請明白，你要努力爭取這種待遇，你必須保持好的成績，準(zhǔn)時畢業(yè)。

Tennessee, a state with Republican leadership, and Chicago, a city with Democratic leadership, are showing that free community college is possible. I want to spread that idea all across America, so that two years of college becomes as free and universal in America as high school is today. Let's stay ahead of the curve. And I want to work with this Congress to make sure those already burdened with student loans can reduce their monthly payments so that student debt doesn't derail anyone's dreams.

由共和黨人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的田納西州，由民主黨人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的芝加哥市的經(jīng)驗都表明，免費社區(qū)大學(xué)是可能的。我想在美國各地傳播這樣的想法，在美國，兩年制社區(qū)大學(xué)將像美國今天的中學(xué)那樣是免費和普遍的。我想與本屆國會合作，以確保那些承受著學(xué)生貸款負(fù)擔(dān)的美國人可以降低他們月度支付額，以確保學(xué)生債務(wù)不會阻礙任何人的夢想。

Thanks to Vice President Biden's great work to update our job training system, we're connecting community colleges with local employers to train workers to fill high-paying jobs like coding, and nursing, and robotics. Tonight, I'm also asking more businesses to follow the lead of companies like CVS and UPS, and offer more educational benefits and paid apprenticeships -- opportunities that give workers the chance to earn higher-paying jobs even if they don't have a higher education.

感謝副總統(tǒng)拜登為改善我們國家職業(yè)培訓(xùn)系統(tǒng)做的努力，現(xiàn)在社區(qū)學(xué)院與當(dāng)?shù)毓椭骱献鳎嘤?xùn)能夠勝任像編程、護(hù)士和機(jī)器人技術(shù)等方面的高薪工作。今晚，我還想呼吁更多的公司能夠像CVS公司和UPS公司那樣，提供更多的教育福利和有薪實習(xí)，給那些沒有高文憑的勞動者提供機(jī)會來獲取高薪工作。

And as a new generation of veterans comes home, we owe them every opportunity to live the American Dream they helped defend. Already, we've made strides towards ensuring that every veteran has access to the highest quality care. We're slashing the backlog that had too many veterans waiting years to get the benefits they need. And we're making it easier for vets to translate their training and experience into civilian jobs. And Joining Forces, the national campaign launched by Michelle and Jill Biden -- thank you, Michelle; thank you, Jill -- has helped nearly 700,000 veterans and military spouses get a new job. So to every CEO in America, let me repeat: If you want somebody who's going to get the job done and done right, hire a veteran.

而對于那些終于回家的老兵來說，我們欠他們一個實現(xiàn)他們曾努力保護(hù)的美國夢的機(jī)會。 我們已經(jīng)對老兵醫(yī)療福利進(jìn)行大刀闊斧的改革，確保每一位退伍軍人能夠得到最好的醫(yī)療保健。我們處理了大量積壓多年的老兵申請福利的案件，使他們更容易把自己受過的訓(xùn)練和經(jīng)驗用于就業(yè)。米歇爾和吉爾?拜登發(fā)起的“聯(lián)合力量”項目已經(jīng)幫助了近70萬老兵和軍屬獲得新工作。所以美國的CEO們，讓我再重申一次：如果你想雇用一名能夠完成工作的人，那就雇一名老兵吧。