○  克林顿总统2000年联邦国情咨文演说  ○

mr. speaker, mr. vice president, members of congress, honored guests, my fellow americans:

we are fortunate to be alive at this moment in history. (applause.) never before has our nation enjoyed, at once, so much prosperity and social progress with so little internal crisis and so few external threats. never before have we had such a blessed opportunity —— and, therefore, such a profound obligation —— to build the more perfect union of our founders’ dreams.

we begin the new century with over 20 million new jobs; the fastest economic growth in more than 30 years; the lowest unemployment rates in 30 years; the lowest poverty rates in 20 years; the lowest african american and hispanic unemployment rates on record; the first back-to-back budget surpluses in 42 years. and next month, america will achieve the longest period of economic growth in our entire history. (applause.)

we have built a new economy.

and our economic revolution has been matched by a revival of the american spirit: crime down by 20 percent, to its lowest level in 25 years; teen births down seven years in a row; adoptions up by 30 percent; welfare rolls cut in half to their lowest levels in 30 years.

my fellow americans, the state of our union is the strongest it has ever been. (applause.)

as always, the real credit belongs to the american people. (applause.) my gratitude also goes to those of you in this chamber who have worked with us to put progress over partisanship.

eight years ago, it was not so clear to most americans there would be much to celebrate in the year 20xx. then our nation was gripped by economic distress, social decline, political gridlock. the title of a best-selling book asked: "america: what went wrong?"

in the best traditions of our nation, americans determined to set things right. w 1 2 下一页