1、October 30, 2010 Tuesday is Election Day, and here in Washington, the talk is all about who will win and who will lose about parties and politics. But around kitchen tables, Im pretty sure youre talking about other things: about your family finances, or maybe the state of the economy in your hometow
2、n; about your kids, and what their futures will bring. And your hope is that once this election is over, the folks you choose to represent you will put the politics aside for a while, and work together to solve problems. Thats my hope, too. Whatever the outcome on Tuesday, we need to come together t
3、o help put people who are still looking for jobs back to work. And there are some practical steps we can take right away to promote growth and encourage businesses to hire and expand. These are steps we all should be able to agree on not Democratic or Republican ideas, but proposals that have tradit
4、ionally been supported by both parties. We ought to provide continued tax relief for middle class families who have borne the brunt of the recession. We ought to allow businesses to defer taxes on the equipment they buy next year. And we ought to make the research and experimentation tax credit bigg
5、er and permanent to spur innovation and foster new products and technologies. Beyond these near-term steps, we should work together to tackle the broader challenges facing our country so that we remain competitive and prosperous in a global economy. That means ensuring that our young people have the
6、 skills and education to fill the jobs of a new age. That means building new infrastructure from high-speed trains to high-speed internet so that our economy has room to grow. And that means fostering a climate of innovation and entrepreneurship that will allow American businesses and American worke
7、rs to lead in growth industries like clean energy. On these issues issues that will determine our success or failure in this new century I believe its the fundamental responsibility of all who hold elective office to seek out common ground. It may not always be easy to find agreement; at times well
8、have legitimate philosophical differences. And it may not always be the best politics. But it is the right thing to do for our country. Thats why I found the recent comments by the top two Republican in Congress so troubling. The Republican leader of the House actually said that “this is not the tim
9、e for compromise.” And the Republican leader of the Senate said his main goal after this election is simply to win the next one. I know that were in the final days of a campaign. So its not surprising that were seeing this heated rhetoric. Thats politics. But when the ballots are cast and the voting
10、 is done, we need to put this kind of partisanship aside win, lose, or draw. In the end, it comes down to a simple choice. We can spend the next two years arguing with one another, trapped in stale debates, mired in gridlock, unable to make progress in solving the serious problems facing our country
11、. We can stand still while our competitors like China and others around the world try to pass us by, making the critical decisions that will allow them to gain an edge in new industries. Or we can do what the American people are demanding that we do. We can move forward. We can promote new jobs and
12、businesses by harnessing the talents and ingenuity of our people. We can take the necessary steps to help the next generation instead of just worrying about the next election. We can live up to an allegiance far stronger than our membership in any political party. And thats the allegiance we hold to
13、 our country. Thank you. October 23, 2010 Over the past two years, weve won a number of battles to defend the interests of the middle class. One of the most important victories we achieved was the passage of Wall Street Reform. This was a bill designed to rein in the secret deals and reckless gambli
14、ng that nearly brought down the financial system. It set new rules so that taxpayers would never again be on the hook for a bailout if a big financial company went under. And reform included the strongest consumer protections in history to put an end to a lot of the hidden fees, deceptive mortgages,
15、 and other abusive practices used to tilt the tables against ordinary people in their financial dealings. It was a tough fight. The special interests poured millions into a lobbying campaign to prevent us from reforming the system a system that worked a lot better for them than for middle class fami
16、lies. Some in the financial industry were eager to protect a status quo that basically allowed them to play by their own rules. And these interests held common cause with Republican leaders in Washington who were looking to score a political victory in an election year. But their efforts failed. And
17、 we succeeded in passing reform in the hopes of ensuring that we never again face a crisis like the one weve been through a crisis that unleashed an economic downturn as deep as any since the Great Depression. Even today, we are still digging out of the damage it unleashed on the economy. Millions o
18、f people are still out of work. Millions of families are still hurting. Were also seeing the reverberations of this crisis with the rise in foreclosures. And recently, weve seen problems in foreclosure proceedings mistakes that have led to disruptions in the housing markets. This is only one more pi
19、ece of evidence as to why Wall Street Reform is so necessary. In fact, as part of reform, a new consumer watchdog is now standing up. It will have just one job: looking out for ordinary consumers in the financial system. And this watchdog will have the authority to guard against unfair practices in
20、mortgage transactions and foreclosures. Yet despite the importance of this law and despite the terrible economic dislocation caused by the failures in our financial system under the old rules top Republicans in Congress are now beating the drum to repeal all of these reforms and consumer protections
21、. Recently, one of the Republican leaders in the Senate said that if Republicans take charge of Congress, repeal would be one of the first orders of business. And he joins the top Republican in the House who actually called for the law to be repealed even before it passed. I think that would be a te
22、rrible mistake. Our economy depends on a financial system in which everyone competes on a level playing field, and everyone is held to the same rules whether youre a big bank, a small business owner, or a family looking to buy a house or open a credit card. And as we saw, without sound oversight and
23、 common-sense protections for consumers, the whole economy is put in jeopardy. That doesnt serve Main Street. That doesnt serve Wall Street. That doesnt serve anyone. And thats why I think its so important that we not take this country backward that we dont go back to the broken system we had before
24、. Weve got to keep moving forward. Thanks. Saturday, October 16, 2010 After a decade of hardship for middle class families, and a recession that wiped away millions of jobs, we are in the middle of a tough fight to rebuild this economy and put folks back to work. Winning this fight will not depend o
25、n government alone. It will depend on the innovation of American entrepreneurs; on the drive of American small business owners; on the skills and talents of American workers. These are the people who will help us grow our economy and create jobs. But government still has an important responsibility.
26、 And thats to create an environment in which someone can raise capital to start a new company; where a business can get a loan to expand; where ingenuity is prized and folks are rewarded for their hard work. Thats why I fought so hard to pass a jobs bill to cut taxes and make more loans available fo
27、r entrepreneurs. It eliminated the capital gains taxes for key investments in small businesses. It increased the deduction to defray the costs of starting a company. And its freeing up credit for folks who need it. In fact, in just the first two weeks since I signed the bill, thousands of business o
28、wners have been able to get new loans through the SBA. But we need to do more. So Ive proposed additional steps to grow the economy and spur hiring by businesses across America. Now, one of the keys to job creation is to encourage companies to invest more in the United States. But for years, our tax
29、 code has actually given billions of dollars in tax breaks that encourage companies to create jobs and profits in other countries. I want to close these tax loopholes. Instead, I want to give every business in America a tax break so they can write off the cost of all new equipment they buy next year
30、. Thats going to make it easier for folks to expand and hire new people. I want to make the research and experimentation tax credit permanent. Because promoting new ideas and technologies is how well create jobs and retain our edge as the worlds engine of discovery and innovation. And I want to prov
31、ide a tax cut for clean energy manufacturing right here in America. Because thats how well lead the world in this growing industry. These are commonsense ideas. When more things are made in America, more families make it in America; more jobs are created in America; more businesses thrive in America
32、. But Republicans in Washington have consistently fought to keep these corporate loopholes open. Over the last four years alone, Republicans in the House voted 11 times to continue rewarding corporations that create jobs and profits overseas a policy that costs taxpayers billions of dollars every ye
33、ar. That doesnt make a lot sense. It doesnt make sense for American workers, American businesses, or Americas economy. A lot of companies that do business internationally make an important contribution to our economy here at home. Thats a good thing. But there is no reason why our tax code should ac
34、tively reward them for creating jobs overseas. Instead, we should be using our tax dollars to reward companies that create jobs and businesses within our borders. We should give tax breaks to American small businesses and manufacturers. We should reward the people who are helping us lead in the indu
35、stries of the future, like clean energy. Thats how well ensure that American innovation and ingenuity are what drive the next century. Thats how well put our people back to work and lead the global economy. And thats what Ill be fighting for in the coming months. Thank you. Saturday, October 9, 2010
36、 The other day, I was talking about education with some folks in the backyard of an Albuquerque home, and someone asked a question thats stayed with me. He asked, if we dont have homes to go to, what good is an education? It was a heartfelt question, one that could be asked by anyone whos lost a hom
37、e or a job in this recession. Because if youre out of work or facing foreclosure, all that really matters is a new job. All that really matters is a roof over your head. All that really matters is getting back on your feet. Thats why Im fighting each and every day to jumpstart job-creation in the pr
38、ivate sector; to help our small business owners grow and hire; to rebuild our economy so it lifts up a middle class thats been battered for so long. But even as we focus on doing all that; even as we focus on speeding up our economic recovery; we also know that when it comes to jobs, opportunity, an
39、d prosperity in the 21st century, nothing is more important than the quality of your education. At a time when most of the new jobs being created will require some kind of higher education; when countries that out-educate us today will outcompete us tomorrow, giving our kids the best education possi
40、ble is an economic imperative. Thats why, from the start of my administration, weve been fighting to offer every child in this country a world-class education from the cradle to the classroom, from college through a career. Earlier this week, I announced a new Skills for Americas Future initiative t
41、hat will help community colleges and employers match whats taught in the classroom with whats needed in the private sector, so we can connect students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire. Were eliminating tens of billions of dollars in wasteful subsidies for banks to administer student
42、loans, and using that money to make college more affordable for millions of students. And weve launched a Race to the Top in our states to make sure our students, all of them, are graduating from high school ready for college so we can meet our goal of graduating a higher proportion of students from
43、 college than any other country in the world by 2020. And yet, if Republicans in Congress had their way, wed have a harder time meeting that goal. Wed have a harder time offering our kids the best education possible. Because theyd have us cut education by 20 percent cuts that would reduce financial
44、aid for eight million students; cuts that would leave our great and undervalued community colleges without the resources they need to prepare our graduates for the jobs of the future. Now, it is true that when it comes to our budget, we have real challenges to meet. And if were serious about getting
45、 our fiscal house in order, well need to make some tough choices. Im prepared to make those choices. But what Im not prepared to do is shortchange our childrens education. What Im not prepared to do is undercut their economic future, your economic future, or the economic future of the United States
46、of America. Nothing would be more detrimental to our prospects for success than cutting back on education. It would consign America to second place in our fiercely competitive global economy. But China and India arent playing for second. South Korea and Germany arent playing for second. Theyre playi
47、ng for first and so should America. Instead of being shortsighted and shortchanging our kids, we should be doubling down on them. We should be giving every child in America a chance to make the most of their lives; to fulfill their God-given potential. We should be fighting to lead the global econom
48、y in this century, just like we did in the last. And thats what Ill continue fighting to do in the months and years ahead. Thanks, everybody, and have a nice weekend. October 2, 2010 Over the past twenty months, weve been fighting not just to create more jobs today, but to rebuild our economy on a s
49、tronger foundation. Our future as a nation depends on making sure that the jobs and industries of the 21st century take root here in America. And there is perhaps no industry with more potential to create jobs now and growth in the coming years than clean energy. For decades, weve talked about the importance of ending our dependence on foreign oil and pursuing new kinds of energy, like wind and solar power. But for just as long, progress had been prevented at every turn
