[ 2006-12-18 10:22 ]
(Dec.16 ,2006)
Good morning. Christmas is fast approaching, and I know many of you are busy trying to finish up your holiday shopping. This week, we received good news about the economy that should brighten the season and keep us optimistic about the year ahead.
First, the Commerce Department released figures showing that sales for America's retailers were up in November and that the increase is much larger than expected. These figures are important because for many American businesses November and December are their highest sales months for the year. So the healthy increase in retail sales is a good sign for American employers and workers.
America's working families also received another bit of holiday cheer this week: We learned that real hourly wages rose by 2.3 percent over the past year. That may not sound like a lot, but for the typical family of four with both parents working, it means an extra $1,350 for this year. At the same time, our growing economy continues to create jobs and that has brought unemployment down to just 4.5 percent. These numbers give all Americans a reason to celebrate: More people are working than ever before, and paychecks are going further than they used to.
When you decide how to spend your paycheck, you have to set priorities and live within your means. Congress needs to do the same thing with the money you send to Washington. That was one of the clear messages American voters sent in the mid-term elections. And one of the best ways we can impose more discipline on federal spending is by addressing the problem of earmarks.
Earmarks are spending provisions that are often slipped into bills at the last minute, so they never get debated or discussed. It is not surprising that this often leads to unnecessary federal spending -- such as a swimming pool or a teapot museum tucked into a big spending bill. And over the last decade, the Congressional Research Service reports that the number of earmarks has exploded -- increasing from about 3,000 in 1996 to 13,000 in 2006. I respect Congress's authority over the public purse, but the time has come to reform the earmark process and dramatically reduce the number of earmarks.
Reforming earmarks is the responsibility of both political parties. Over the past year, the Republican Congress succeeded in eliminating virtually all earmarks for three major Cabinet departments. And I'm pleased that Democratic leaders in Congress recently committed themselves to support reforms that would restore transparency and accountability to earmarks. For this year's budget, they pledged to maintain current levels of spending and not include any earmarks. And they agreed to a temporary moratorium on earmarks.
This is a good start, but Congress needs to do much more. My administration will soon lay out a series of reforms that will help make earmarks more transparent, that will hold the members who propose earmarks more accountable, and that will help reduce the number of earmarks inserted into large spending bills.
Republicans and Democrats alike have an opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to spending restraint and good government by making earmark reform a top priority for the next Congress. When it comes to spending your money, you expect us to rise above party labels. By working together to cut down on earmarks, we can show the American people that we can be fiscally responsible with their money and that we can come together in Washington to get results.
Thank you for listening.
paycheck : salary or wage
earmark : to reserve or set aside for a particular purpose
国内英语资讯:China, ASEAN trade to continue expanding, driving global growth amidst uncertainties: Malays
国内英语资讯:China strengthens Lancang-Mekong cooperation in environmental protection
这些难搞的口语你认识多少?
国际英语资讯:U.S. seeks to strengthen ties with Europe amid mounting disputes
国际英语资讯:Hungarian president to pay state visit to Cambodia
国际英语资讯:2nd LD: Masisi declared winner of Botswanas general election
2017金马奖:《血观音》成年度最佳影片!
国际英语资讯:Spotlight: Argentina elections a choice of two economic visions
西班牙版《唐顿庄园》遭翻拍!网友:太期待了
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier meets Brazilian president
总有人在默默看着你
国内英语资讯:China establishes research center for Dunhuang studies
国际英语资讯:Wild fires across California force massive evacuation
联合国特使:恢复和谈对叙利亚来说是关键时刻
无人机送快递开始了,谷歌体系搞的
国内英语资讯:Chinese premier urges speedy construction of China-Europe land-sea express
蚂蚁金服限制其消费贷款产品利率
国际英语资讯:UN envoy unsure if new Syrian peace talks will be direct dialogue
词典网站Dictionary.com选出的2017年度词汇是“同谋”
Free internet for Mount Fuji climbers 日本富士山向游客提供免费无线网
“2分钟规则”帮你戒掉拖延症
国际英语资讯:Pakistani court grants bail to ex-PM Nawaz Sharif on health issues: lawyers
Go overboard?
国内英语资讯:Senior CPC official addresses Understanding China Conference
名人的时间能像股票一样交易?时间交易平台合规性存疑
国内英语资讯:China invests 4 bln yuan in ITER project in decade
国际英语资讯:New round of Intra-Syrian peace talks kick off in Geneva
国内英语资讯:China seeks to enhance ties with Kenya on development of digital economy
国内英语资讯:Chinese experts, scholars brief journalists on Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Tibet
2017年12月英语四级作文万能模板:引出不同的观点
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |