Bush Acknowledges Economic Woes, Expresses Optimism
布什促美国人民保持信心度过难关

President Bush says he is confident that a series of tax rebates and business incentives will help ease the pain of a slowing U.S. economy.

美国总统布什星期五表示，他确信，退税和商业刺激措施将有助于缓解美国经济发展减慢所造成的阵痛。

With the dollar at an all-time low against the Euro and higher prices for food and gasoline depressing retail sales, President Bush says there is no doubt the U.S. economy is going through tough times.

面对美元贬值、食品和能源价格高涨并导致零售下降的局面，布什总统指出，毫无疑问，美国经济正在经历一个困难时期。

"The economy shed more than 80,000 jobs in two months," he said. "Prices are up at the gas pump and in the supermarket. Housing values are down. Hard-working Americans are concerned. They are concerned about their families, and they are concerned about making their bills."

布什说：“美国经济在两个月当中损失了8万多个工作。在加油站和超级市场，价格都在上涨。房屋价值正在下滑。辛勤工作的美国人感到担心。他们为自己的家庭担心，担心付不起账单。”

But Mr. Bush told the Economic Club of New York that he is optimistic because economic fundamentals remain strong and the federal government is acting to ensure that the economy is flexible enough to adjust to adversity and strong enough to attract capital.

布什总统在纽约经济俱乐部发表这番讲话。不过，他对美国经济的前景表示乐观，因为美国经济的基本面保持强壮，而且联邦政府正在采取措施以确保美国经济保持弹性和动力，足以在逆境中做出调整，足以吸引更多的资本。

"I believe that we are a resilient economy, and I believe that the ingenuity and resolve of the American people is what helps us deal with these issues," he said. "And it is going to happen again."

布什说：“我相信，我们的经济是富有弹性的。我相信，美国人民的智慧和决心将帮助我们解决这些问题。我们一定会重振旗鼓。”

The president says his administration recognized the economic slowdown early and took action with Congress to ease its impact.

布什总统表示，行政部门很早就认识到经济发展减速，而且跟国会一道采取行动，缓解经济走缓的影响。

Mr. Bush last month signed a temporary stimulus package that gives tax incentives to businesses to make new investments in equipment this year. It also provides tax rebates to more than 130 million households.

上个月，布什总统签署了一个临时性的经济刺激方案，通过税务减免来刺激工商企业今年在机械设备方面进行新的投资。这个方案还同时向1亿3千万美国家庭发放退税款。

"The purpose is to boost consumer spending," he said. "The purpose is to try to offset the loss of wealth if the value of your home has gone down. The purpose is to buoy the consumer."

布什总统说：“退税的目的是促进消费性开支，以抵销房屋价值缩水所造成的财产损失，对消费者起到支撑作用。”

The Treasury Department says those checks should be mailed by the second week of May, so White House officials expect consumer spending to rise in the second and third quarters.

美国财政部说，退税款将在5月份的第2个星期寄出。所以白宫官员预期，消费者支出将在第2季度和第3季度上扬。

President Bush again called on Congress to make his record tax cuts permanent and urged lawmakers to pass a free trade agreement with Colombia before the end of the year.

布什总统再次呼吁国会让他的减税方案永久化。他还呼吁国会议员在今年年底之前批准美国跟哥伦比亚达成的自由贸易协议。