20150411_学费--免费社区大学

Tuition -- Free Community College (April 11, 2015) 学费--免费社区大学(2015年4月11日) Ladies and Gentlemen, this is Joe Biden and I'm here filling in for President Obama, who is traveling abroad. 女士们,先生们,我是乔•拜登,我代替奥巴马总统来做每周演讲,他现在正在国外. And I'm here with a simple message: middle class economics works. 我要传递一个简单的信息:中产阶层经济学发挥了作用. Our economy has gone from crisis to recovery to now to resurgence -- with the longest streak of consecutive job growth ever recorded in the history of this country and more than all other advanced countries combined. 我们的经济已经从危机经历恢复,走到了当下的复苏--实现了我们国家历史上最长时间的就业岗位持续增长记录,就业岗位增长比其他所有的发达经济体加起来还要多. But to make sure everyone is part of this resurgence, we need to build on what we know widens the path to the middle class -- and you all know what it is, access to education. 但要确保每一个人都享有这一复苏的成果,我们需要在我们了解情况的基础上打造通往中产阶层的途径--你们都知道这是什么,就是接受教育的权利. Folks, the source of our economic power and middle class strength in the 20th Century was the fact that we were among the first major nations in the world to provide twelve years of free education for our citizens. 朋友们,在20世纪我们经济动力和中产阶层强大的来源,是我们是世界上为我们的国民提供12年免费教育的主要国家之一. But in the 21st Century, other countries have already caught up and twelve years is simply no longer enough -- a minimum of fourteen years is necessary for families to have a surer path to the middle class and for the United States to be able to out-compete the rest of the world. 但在21世纪,其他国家已经迎头赶上,12年已经不够了--最少14年的教育对众多家庭成为中产阶层是非常必要的,对美国能竞争过世界上的其他国家也是非常必要的. Consider that by the end of the decade, two out of three of all jobs will require an education beyond high school, from an 18 week certificate to a two year associate's degree to a four year bachelor's, or a PhD. 考虑到在这个十年的末期,所有就业岗位中的三分之二将需要高中以上的教育水平,需要从18周的文凭到两年的副学士学位,到四年的学士学位或者博士学位. And consider that folks with an associate's degree earn 25% more than someone who graduated just from high school. And folks who graduate with a four year degree make 70% more. 考虑到有着副学士学位的人们比仅仅毕业于高中的人们要多挣到25%的工资.有着四年学位毕业经历的人们能多挣到70%. But today, the cost of higher education is too high for many -- too many Americans. Too many folks are priced out of a piece of the middle class dream. 但当下,高等教育的开支为太多的国人来说太昂贵了.太多的人们因为资金被迫放弃他们的中产梦. And that's why the President and I have a straightforward plan to remove that barrier and expand the pathway to the middle class -- by bringing the cost of community colleges down -- down to zero. 也因此,总统和我提出了明确的计划,去除障碍,扩大通往中产阶层的途径--降低社区大学的开支--降低到零. Zero -- for anyone willing to work for it and for the institutions that meet certain basic requirements. 零--对任何愿意为之工作的人们和能达到当前基本要求的各学院机构. Our plan is no give-away. Students must keep up their grades and stay on track to graduate. States must contribute funding and hold community colleges accountable for the results. And community colleges must maintain high graduation and job placement rates. 我们的计划不是免费的.学生们必须保证他们的成绩,并一直到毕业.各州必须募集资金,让社区大学能为结果负责任.社区大学也必须保持毕业率和就业率. And here's a key point -- community colleges will have to offer courses that are directly transferrable to a four year degree. 问题的关键是--社区大学将必须提供能够直接过渡到四年学位的课程. If two years of community college are free -- and credits can transfer to a four year university -- that means the cost of a four year degree will be cut in half for a lot of working families struggling to send their children to college, qualified children. 如果两年的社区大学是免费的--学分可以转移到四年制的大学中.这意味着四年制学位的开支将为众多工薪家庭削减到一半,而这些家庭正在竭力将他们的孩子,符合条件的孩子送入大学. And under our plan, students from low-income families will be able to keep the benefits that flow from other financial aid, like Pell grants, to cover childcare, housing, transportation -- costs that often keep them from attending class and completing a degree in the first place. 在我们的计划之下,来自低收入家庭的学生将能够获得其他的财政资助,比如佩尔奖学金,来负担起儿童护理,房产以及交通的费用--这些开支经常让他们不能去上课,不能按时完成学业. But here's another key point. Not every good -- paying job will require a two year or four year degree. Some of these jobs will require just a training certificate that can be earned in just a few months. 但还有另一个关键点.并不是每一个高工资的工作岗位都需要两年制或者四年制的学位.一些工作岗位将仅仅需要一个培训认证,一个仅需要几个月就可以获得的培训认证. For example, you can go to an 18 week coding bootcamp -- with no previous experience in computers -- and become a computer programmer making up to $70,000 a year. 比如,你可以参加一个为期18周的代码训练营,之前你可以完全没有计算机方面的经验--成为一个每年能挣到$70,000的计算机程序员. There are other jobs in fields like advanced manufacturing and energy that pay $40,000, $50,000, $60,000 a year -- jobs you can raise a family on. 还有其他领域的工作,比如先进制造业和能源产业领域,可以每年年薪达到$40,000,$50,000,$60,000的工作--这些工作可以让你供养起一个家庭. It's a simple fact that community colleges are the most flexible educational institutions we have. I've traveled all over this country, from New York to Iowa to California, to see how community colleges create partnerships with Fortune 500 companies and local businesses to generate jobs; support apprenticeships with organized labor, and prepare hardworking students for good -- paying jobs in the areas in which they live. 有一个简单的事实,社区大学是我们拥有的最灵活的教育机构.我曾经到全国各地,从纽约到衣阿华到加利福尼亚,见到了社区大学如何在财富500强企业和当地商家之间建立起合作关系,来创造就业岗位;支持组织起来劳动力的学徒制度,为辛勤工作的学生准备好在他们生活地区的高工资工作. Making community colleges free is good for workers, it's good for companies, and it's good for our economy. 让社区大学免费对员工们有好处,对企业有好处,对我们的经济也有好处. Here's what we propose: Close loopholes for the wealthiest investors and levy a .07% fee on the biggest banks to discourage the kind of risky behavior that crashed our economy just a few years ago. 这是我们所计划的:封堵对最富有投资者的漏洞,取消对最大银行仅0.07%的征税,来避免就在几年前让我们经济崩溃的危险行为. Doing just that would pay for free community college -- and provide a leg up for working families through tax credits to cover necessities like childcare. 做那些让社区大学免费的事情--并助工薪家庭一臂之力,通过税收减免让他们负担起儿童保育这样的必要事项. That's what middle class economics is all about -- giving folks a fair chance to get ahead. A fair tax code. No guarantees. Just a fair chance. 这正是中产阶层经济学的意义所在--让人们有公平的机会去取得成功.公平的税法.不是确保成功.仅仅是公平的机会. It's simple folks, two years of community college should become as free and as universal as high school is today if we're to make this economic resurgence permanent and well into the 21st Century. 朋友们这很简单.两年的社区大学能变得像高中一样免费和普遍.如果我们要让经济复苏持续下去,并在21世纪保持经济繁荣. So I want to thank you all for listening. I hope you have a great weekend and God bless you all and may God protect our troops. 我要感谢你们的收听.我祝你们周末快乐,上帝保佑你们,愿上帝保佑我们的军队.