BREAKING NEWS: Bernie Sanders Issues Epic Takedown Of Trump, Musk, And 'The Greed Of The Oligarchy'

Vermont. Thank you. President in the last couple of weeks, I've had the opportunity but to travel in many parts of our country. And I have been able to talk to folks in Nebraska, in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nevada, Colorado, and Arizona. And what I am hearing from in all of these states, and in fact, all over the country, is that our nation right now faces enormous crises, unprecedented crises in the modern history of our country. And how right now, at this moment, we respond to these crises will not only impact our lives, it will impact the lives of our kids and future generations, and in terms of climate change, the well-being of the entire planet.

谢谢。总统先生，最近几周我有机会到访我们国家的许多地方。我与内布拉斯加州、爱荷华州、威斯康星州、密歇根州、内华达州、科罗拉多州和亚利桑那州的人们进行了交谈。在这些州，乃至全国各地，我听到的是，我们的国家目前正面临着现代历史上前所未有的巨大危机。现在我们对这些危机的应对方式将不仅影响我们的生活，还会影响我们的孩子和后代的生活，尤其是在气候变化方面，这也关系到整个星球的福祉。

And Mr. President, what I have to tell you is that the American people are angry at what is happening here in Washington, D.C. And they are prepared to stand up and fight back. In my view, and what I have heard from many, many people is that they will not accept an oligarchic form of society, where a handful of billionaires control our government, where the wealthiest person on earth, Mr. Musk, is running all over Washington, D.C., slashing the Social Security Administration so that our elderly people today are finding it extremely difficult to access the benefits that they paid into. Where Mr. Musk and his friends are slashing the Veterans Administration so that people who put their lives on the line to defend us will not be able to get the health care that they are entitled to or get the benefits that they are owed in a timely matter.

总统先生，我要告诉您的是，美国人民对华盛顿特区发生的事情感到愤怒。他们准备站起来反击。在我看来，或者根据我从许多人那里听到的，他们不会接受一种寡头式的社会形态，即少数亿万富翁控制我们的政府。比如世界上最富有的人，马斯克先生，在华盛顿特区随处可见，削减社保管理局的预算，使得我们的老年人如今难以获得他们应得的福利。马斯克先生和他的朋友们也在削减退伍军人事务部的基金，以至于曾为国家安全贡献生命的人无法及时获得他们应得的医疗和福利。

Slashing the Department of Education, slashing USAID, and why is all of this slashing taking place? It is taking place so that the wealthiest people in this country can receive over $1 trillion in tax breaks. Now, I don't care if you are a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent. There are very few people in this country who think that you slash programs that working families desperately need in order to give tax breaks to billionaires. Mr. President, I am the former chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, and I have had the honor of meeting with veterans in my own state of Vermont all over Vermont, but all over the country.

削减教育部的资金，削减美国国际开发署（USAID）的资金，为什么要进行这些削减？这样做的目的是让该国最富有的人获得超过1万亿美元的减税优惠。我不在乎你是民主党、共和党还是独立党派，这个国家很少有人认为应该削减工薪家庭急需的项目，以便给亿万富翁减税。总统先生，我曾是美国参议院退伍军人事务委员会的主席，我有幸在佛蒙特州和全国各地与退伍军人会面。

These are the men and women who put the uniform of this country on and have been prepared to die to defend our nation and American democracy. And these veterans and Americans all over our nation will not accept an authoritarian form of society with a president who undermines our Constitution every day. Every day there's something else out there where he's undermining our Constitution and threatening the very foundations of American democracy. That is not what people fought and died to allow to happen.

这些就是穿上这个国家制服、准备为捍卫我们的国家和美国民主而牺牲的男男女女。这些退伍军人以及全国各地的美国人都不会接受一种专制的社会形态，也不会接受一个每天都在削弱我们宪法的总统。每天都有新的事情出现，总统在削弱我们的宪法，威胁着美国民主的根基。这不是那些为了我们的国家而战斗和牺牲的人所想要看到的。

Mr. President, I am not a historian, but I do know that the founding fathers of this country were no dummies. They were really smart guys. And in the 1780s, they wrote a Constitution and established a form of government with a separation of powers, a separation of powers, with an executive branch, the president, a legislative branch, the Congress, and a judicial branch. These revolutionaries in the 1780s had just fought a war against the imperial rule of the king of England, who was an absolute dictator, the most powerful person on earth. And these revolutionaries here in America forming a new government wanted to make absolutely sure that no one person in this brand new country that they were forming would have unlimited powers. And that is why we have a separation of powers.

总统先生，我不是历史学家，但我知道这个国家的开国元勋都很聪明。在18世纪80年代，他们制定了宪法，并建立了一种分权的政府形式，将权力分成三个部分：行政部门由总统领导、立法部门是国会、司法部门则是法院。18世纪80年代的这些革命者刚刚与拥有绝对权力的英国国王打了一场战争。这位国王是当时世界上最有权势的人。而在美国，这些革命者想要确保在他们新建立的国家中，没有任何一个人能够拥有无限的权力。这就是为什么我们实行分权制度的原因。

That is why we have a judiciary, a Congress, and an executive branch. In other words, way back in the 1780s, they wrote a Constitution to prevent exactly what Donald Trump is trying to do today. So let us be clear about what is going on. Donald Trump is attacking our First Amendment and is trying to intimidate the media and those who speak out against them. In an absolutely unprecedented way, Mr. President, he has sued ABC, CBS, Meta, the Des Moines Register. His FCC is now threatening to investigate NPR and PBS. He has called CNN and MSNBC illegal. In other words, the leader or the so-called leader of the free world is afraid of freedom.

这就是为什么我们有司法机构、国会和行政部门。换句话说，早在18世纪80年代，他们就制定了一部宪法，以防止唐纳德·特朗普今天试图做的事情。所以，让我们对正在发生的事情有一个清晰的认识。唐纳德·特朗普正在攻击我们的第一修正案，试图恐吓媒体和那些反对他的人。以一种前所未有的方式，总统先生，他起诉了ABC、CBS、Meta、《得梅因纪事报》。他的联邦通信委员会现在威胁要调查NPR和PBS。他称CNN和MSNBC为非法。换句话说，这位所谓的自由世界的领导者却害怕自由。

He doesn't like criticism. Well, guess what? None of us like criticism, but you don't get elected to the Senate. You don't get elected to the House. You don't become a governor. You don't become a president of the United States unless you are prepared to deal with that criticism. And the response to that criticism in a democracy is not to sue the media, is not to intimidate the media. It's to respond in the way you think best. But, Mr. President, it is not just the media that Trump is going after. He is going after the constitutional responsibilities that this body, the United States Congress has. And I will say it amazes me. It really does. How easily my Republican colleagues here in the Senate and in the House are willing to surrender their constitutional responsibilities.

他不喜欢批评。那么，猜猜怎么着？我们都不喜欢批评，但如果你不准备好应对批评，你就不会被选为参议员，也不会被选为众议员，更不会成为州长或美国总统。在民主制度中，对批评的回应方式不是起诉媒体，也不是恐吓媒体，而是采用你认为最好的方式来回应。但是，总统先生，特朗普不仅仅是针对媒体。他在攻击美国国会这个机构的宪法责任。我必须说，这让我感到惊讶，真的是如此。我的共和党同事们在参议院和众议院竟然如此轻易地放弃他们的宪法责任。

Give it over to the President. Trump has illegally and unconstitutionally withheld funds that Congress has appropriated. You can't do that. Congress has the power of the purse. We make a decision. We argue about it here. Big debates, voter dramas, the whole thing. Make that decision. That money goes out. The President does not have the right to withhold funds that Congress has appropriated. Trump has illegally and unconstitutionally decimated agencies that can only be changed or reformed by Congress. You don't like the Department of Education. You don't like USAID. Fine. Come to the Congress. Tell us what reforms you want to see. You do not have the right to unilaterally do away with these agencies. Trump has fired members of independent agencies and inspectors general that he does not have the authority to do.

交给总统处理。特朗普非法且违宪地扣留了国会拨款。这是不允许的。国会掌握财政权。我们在这里做出决定，进行辩论，有时还会有选民的关注和讨论。决定一旦做出，资金就应该被拨出。总统无权扣留国会拨款。特朗普还非法且违宪地削弱了一些只能由国会改变或改革的机构。如果你不喜欢教育部或者美国国际开发署，可以来国会告诉我们你希望看到哪些改革。但你无权单方面废除这些机构。特朗普还解雇了一些独立机构的成员和监察长，而他无此权力。

But, Mr. President, it is not just the medium that he is trying to intimidate. It is not just the powers of Congress that he wants. Now, in an absolutely outrageous, unconstitutional, and extraordinarily dangerous way, he is going after the judiciary. His view is that if you don't like a decision that a judge renders, you get rid of that judge. You try to impeach that judge. You intimidate judges so that you get the decisions that you want. I'm thinking back now as someone who he is not a supporter of the Roberts Court. And I'm thinking about one of the worst Supreme Court decisions that has ever been rendered and that is Citizens United. I'll say more about that in a moment. And I'm thinking about the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, taking away American women's right to control their own bodies.

但是，总统先生，他试图恐吓的不仅仅是媒体。他想要的不仅仅是国会的权力。现在，他以一种极其离谱、违反宪法且极其危险的方式，针对司法机构。他的观点是，如果你不喜欢某位法官的判决，就把那位法官撤掉，试图弹劾他们，或者威胁法官以获得想要的判决。我回想起自己对罗伯茨法院并不支持，并想到了美国历史上最糟糕的最高法院判决之一，即「公民联合」案。在这之后我会再多说一点，我还想到了最高法院推翻「罗诉韦德案」的决定，这剥夺了美国女性控制自己身体的权利。

In my view, these were outrageous decisions, unpopular decisions. But it never occurred to me, because maybe I'm old fashioned and conservative. And I believe that you lived by the rule of law to say, hey, look at the decision, Roe v. Wade, we're going to impeach him. No? We try to elect a new president who's going to appoint new Supreme Court justice. That is the system that people have fought and died to defend. But it's not just the movement toward oligarchy which is outraging millions of Americans, Democrats and Republicans, by the way. And it's not just the movement toward authoritarianism that we are seeing. The American people, especially with Mr. Musk and 13 billion ads in the Trump administration running agency after agency, the American people are saying as loudly as they can that they will not accept a society of massive economic and wealth inequalities where the very richest people in our country are becoming much richer while working families are struggling to put food on the table.

在我看来，这些都是极其不合理的决定，不受欢迎的决定。但我从未想到要因此采取激烈措施，可能是因为我思想老旧而保守。我相信要遵循法治，比如说关于“罗诉韦德案”的决定，我们不会对此声称要弹劾法官。相反，我们会努力选出一位新的总统来任命新的最高法院法官。这是人们用生命去捍卫的制度。令人愤怒的不仅仅是向寡头政治的倾斜，这已经激怒了数百万美国人，包括民主党人和共和党人。我们还在目睹对专制主义的趋向。美国人民，尤其是在马斯克先生执掌的时代，以及特朗普政府期间13亿美元的广告影响力下，正竭尽所能地表达他们不接受一个财富和经济极度不平等的社会，在这个社会中，最富有的人变得更加富有，而工薪家庭却在为填饱肚子而苦苦挣扎。

I've been gone all over this country. I can tell you that the American people are sick and tired of these inequalities and they want an economy that works for all of us, not just the 1%. You know, Mr. President, we deal with a whole lot of stuff here in the Congress and virtually all of it is important in one way or another. But let's do something fairly radical today. Let's try to tell the truth, the real truth about what is going on in our society today. Something that we don't talk about too much here in the Senate. We don't talk about too much in the House. We don't talk about it too much in the corporate media.

我走遍了这个国家，可以告诉你，美国人民已经厌倦了这些不平等现象，他们希望拥有一个对所有人都公平的经济体系，而不仅仅是对那1%的人有利。您知道的，总统先生，我们在国会处理了很多事情，几乎每件事都在某种程度上很重要。但今天，让我们做一些相对激进的事情：试着讲真话，讲出我们社会现状的真相。这些事情我们在参议院里不常谈，在众议院里也不常谈，在大多数媒体上也不常谈。

But the reality is that today we have two Americas, two very, very different Americas. And in one of those Americas, the wealthiest people have never, ever had it so good. In the whole history of our country, the people on top have never, ever had it so good as they have it today. Today, we have more income and wealth inequality than there has ever been in the history of American. I know we don't discuss it. You don't see it much on TV. You don't hear it talked about here at all. But the American people do not believe that it is appropriate that three people, one, two, three, Mr. Musk, Mr. Bezos and Mr. Zuckerberg, three Americans own more wealth than the bottom half of American society, 170 million people. Really, three people own more wealth than 170 million people. Anybody here think that is vaguely appropriate?

但现实情况是，如今美国社会分化严重，有两个截然不同的美国。在其中一个美国，最富有的人们从未像现在这样享受过这样的好日子。在我们国家的整个历史中，最顶层的人从未有像今天这样富裕。现今，美国的收入和财富不平等达到了历史上从未有过的程度。我知道我们很少讨论这个问题，你在电视上也很少看到这个话题，几乎听不到有人在谈论它。但美国人民不认为，由马斯克、贝佐斯和扎克伯格这三个美国人所拥有的财富比美国社会底层一半的人，即1.7亿人还要多，是合适的。你们中有人认为这是合适的吗？

And by the way, those very same three people. Three richest people in America. Well, right there at Trump's inaugural standing right behind the president. See, what I know what oligarchy is. I know there's some confusion out there. What is oligarchy? Well, it starts off with the other three wealthiest people in the country standing right behind the president. But he gets inaugurated. The top 1% in our country now own more wealth than the bottom 90% CEOs make 300 times more than their average worker. An unbelievably real inflation accounted for wages today, the average American worker. If you can believe it, despite a massive increase in worker productivity is lower today than it was 52 years ago.

顺便说一下，那三个非常有钱的人，也就是美国最富有的三个人，就站在特朗普就职典礼上，总统的身后。我知道有些人对寡头政治感到困惑。什么是寡头政治呢？它的开始就是全国最富有的三个人就在总统的身后。而在我们国家里，最富有的1%的人拥有的财富比底层90%的人还要多。CEO的收入是普通员工的300倍。尽管工人的生产力有了大幅提升，但如果你能相信的话，今天美国普通工人的实际工资比52年前还要低。

And during that period, there was a 75 trillion dollar transfer of wealth that went from the bottom 90% to the top 1%. That is the reality of the American economy today. And you know what? Maybe we might want to be talking about that. And in our America today, in that top America, in that one America, the 1% are completely separate and isolated from the rest of the country. You think they get on a subway to get to work? You think they sit in a traffic jam for an hour trying to get to work? Not the case. They fly around and the jets and the helicopters that they own. They live in their mansions all over the world and their gated communities.

在那个时期，有75万亿美元的财富从底层90%转移到了顶层1%。这就是当今美国经济的现实。知道吗？也许我们应该关注这个问题。在我们今天的美国，在顶层的那个美国，最上层1%的人已经完全与国家的其他部分隔离开来。你觉得他们会乘坐地铁去上班吗？你觉得他们会在堵车中花上一个小时去上班吗？事实并非如此。他们乘坐自己的私人飞机和直升机四处飞行。他们生活在全球的豪宅和封闭社区中。

They have nannies taking care of their babies. They don't worry about the cost of the child care. And they sit in their kids to the best private schools and colleges. Sometimes they vacation not in a motel six, not in a national park, but on the very own islands that they have. And on occasion for the very, very richest, just for a kick, have a little bit of fun. Maybe they'll spend a few million dollars flying off into space in one of their own spaceships. Sounds like fun.

他们有保姆照顾自己的孩子，不用担心育儿的费用。而且，他们把孩子送入最好的私立学校和大学。有时候，他们不是去住汽车旅馆，也不是去国家公园度假，而是去自己拥有的岛屿。有时，对于极其富有的人来说，只是为了找点乐子，可能会花几百万美元坐上自己的飞船到太空旅行。听起来挺有趣的。

But it is not just income, massive income and wealth inequality that we're dealing with today. We have more concentration of ownership than ever before. While the profits on Wall Street and corporate America saw a handful of giant corporations dominate sector after sector, whether it's agriculture, transportation, media, financial services, etc., etc., small number of huge corporations and international corporations dominating sector after sector.

不仅仅是收入问题，更是我们今天面临的大规模收入和财富不平等。我们还面临比以往更高的所有权集中。随着华尔街和美国企业的利润增长，一小部分巨头公司主导了一个又一个行业，无论是农业、交通、媒体还是金融服务等领域，都是由少数大型公司和跨国企业统治。

And as a result of that concentration of ownership, they are able to charge the American people outrageously high prices for the goods and services we need. As the president, we don't talk about it too much. Maybe we should. But there are three Wall Street firms, Black Rock, Van Goght and State Street, that combined are the major stockholders in 95% of our corporations. Got that? Three Wall Street firms. Three are the major stockholders in 95% of American corporations.

由于所有权的集中，他们能够向美国人民收取极高的商品和服务价格。作为总统，我们对此谈论得不多，也许我们应该多说说。但是，有三家华尔街公司——黑石集团、先锋集团和道富集团——共同成为我们95%企业的主要股东。明白了吗？就是这三家华尔街公司，它们是美国95%企业的主要股东。

So this is the president that is one America. People on top doing phenomenally well. Not only do they have economic power, they have enormous political power. That's what's going on there. They live like kings. That's one America, but there is another America. And in that other America, 60% – 60% of our people are living paycheck to paycheck. And millions of workers from one end of this country to the other are trying to survive on starvation wages.

这就是所谓的“一个美国”的总统。在这部分美国，人们处于社会顶层，表现得异常出色。他们不仅拥有经济实力，还掌握着巨大的政治权力。这就是现在的状况。他们的生活就像国王一样。这是一种美国，但还有另一种美国。在那个美国，60%的人都在月光族的边缘挣扎。而全国各地的数百万工人只能靠微薄的薪水勉强维持生活。

And unlike Donald Trump, I grew up in a family that lived paycheck to paycheck. And I know the anxieties that my mom and dad have living in a rent control department. Can we afford to buy this? Why did you buy that? And that's the story taking place all over America. What does living paycheck to paycheck mean? It means that every single day millions of Americans worry about how they're going to pay their rent or their mortgage.

与唐纳德·特朗普不同，我在一个每月收入刚好够花的家庭中长大。我了解我的父母住在租金管制的公寓里的焦虑。我们能负担得起这个吗？你为什么要买那个？这样的故事在全美各地上演。月光族是什么意思？这意味着每天都有数百万美国人担心如何支付他们的房租或房贷。

All of the country rents the skyrocketing and people are wondering what happens, what happens to me and my kids if rent goes up by 20%. And I can't afford it. Where do I live? Do I have to take my kid out of school? Where do I put my kid? In worst case scenario, do I live in my car? Let's be clear. There are many people who are working today who are living in the back of their cars. How do I pay for childcare?

全国的租金都在飞涨，人们都在担心：如果租金上涨20%，我和我的孩子该怎么办？我负担不起，那我该住哪里？我是否需要让我的孩子退学？我的孩子怎么办？如果情况最糟，我是否要住在车里？需要说明的是，今天有很多在职的人确实住在他们的车后座里。我该如何支付托儿费呢？

Talk to a guy the other day, please, officer. Spend the $20,000 a year for childcare. How do I buy decent food for my kids when the price of groceries is off the charts? What happens if I get sick or my kid gets sick or my mother gets sick? And I got a $12,000 deductible and I can't afford to go to the doctor. How at the end of the month am I going to pay my credit card bill even though I am being charged 20 or 30% interest rates by the usurious credit card companies?

警官，请您理解，我前几天和一个人聊过，讨论到了这个问题。一年花2万美元在孩子的照顾上。我该怎么给孩子买得起像样的食物呢，现在的食品价格涨得离谱。如果我生病了，或者我的孩子生病了，或者我的母亲生病了怎么办？我还有1.2万美元的免赔额，根本负担不起去看医生。月底的时候，我该怎么还信用卡账单呢？信用卡公司收取20%到30%的高额利息，让人吃不消。

People are worrying about simple things. What happens if my car breaks down? And the guy at the repair shop says it's going to cost the $1,000 and I don't have $1,000 in the bank. And if I don't have a car, how do I get to work? And if I don't get to work, how do I have an income? And if I don't have an income, how do I take care of my family? Those are the crises that millions of Americans are experiencing today.

人们正在为一些简单的事情而感到担忧。比如，如果我的车坏了怎么办？修理店的人说需要1000美元，但我银行卡里没有1000美元。如果我没有车，我怎么去上班？如果我不能去上班，我的收入从哪里来？如果没有收入，我该如何养活我的家人？这些就是今天数百万美国人正在经历的困境。

But it's not just working age Americans. Today in our country, half of older workers have nothing in the bank as they face retirement and they'll watch a TV and they'll see and miss the bus firing social security workers and actually worrying whether social security will be there for them. And it's not just older workers with nothing in the bank wondering what happens when they retire. 22% of seniors are trying to survive on $15,000 a year.

但这不仅仅是适龄工作的美国人面临的问题。如今在我们国家，一半的年长工人在面对退休时银行存款为零，他们会看到电视节目中有关解雇社会保障工作人员的报道，并担心社会保障能否如期提供支持。不只有银行存款为零的年长工人在担忧退休后的生活，有22%的老年人正在努力以每年15,000美元的收入维持生计。

I dare anybody in this country, let alone somebody who's old, who needs healthcare, needs to keep the house warm, trying to survive on $15,000 a year. And there are people here by the way talking about cutting social security. Mr. President, it is not just about income and wealth inequality. It is about a healthcare system which everyone in the nation understands is broken, is dysfunctional, and is outrageously expressed. I hear my Republican friends, you know, I don't know where they are today wanting to destroy the ACA and my Democratic friends, they all we got to defend the ACA. ACA is broken. It doesn't work. In my state, the cost of the healthcare is going up 10, 15%. In America today, you got 85 million people uninsured or underinsured. Function of the healthcare system today is not to do what a sane society would do guarantee healthcare to all people in a cost effect the way. Something which by the way, every other major nation on earth manages to do the function of our healthcare system as everybody knows is to make billions of dollars in profits for the insurance companies and the drug companies.

在这个国家，我敢让任何人尝试，尤其是那些年长的人，他们需要医疗保健、需要保持房子温暖，却只能靠每年15,000美元生存。而与此同时，还有人谈论削减社会保障。总统先生，这不仅仅是收入和财富不平等的问题。这还涉及一个全民都明白已经破裂、失灵并且费用高昂的医疗体系。我听到我那边的共和党朋友，我不知道今天他们在哪里，想着要摧毁《平价医疗法案》（ACA），而我的民主党朋友则认为我们得捍卫ACA。事实上，ACA本身就是破损的，无法正常运作。在我的州，医疗费用上涨了10%到15%。在今天的美国，有8500万人没有保险或保险不足。当前的医疗系统的功能并不是像一个理智的社会那样，以经济划算的方式向所有人提供医疗服务。这是其他所有主要国家都能做到的。而我们医疗系统的功能，大家都知道，是为了让保险公司和制药公司赚取数十亿美元的利润。

So I say to my Democratic friends, it's not good enough to defend the Affordable Care Act. It's a broken system. You got to have the guts to stand up and allow us to do what every other major nation does guarantee healthcare to all people as a human right, not allow the drug companies and the insurance companies to make massive profits every year. And Mr. President, I want to touch on an issue that gets virtually no discussion, but I think it is enormously important. And it says a hell of a lot about what's going on in our society today. In America, according to international studies, our life expectancy, how long we live as a people is about four years lower than other countries. Most European countries live, people that live longer lives, Japan, they live even longer lives than in Europe. So question number one, why is that happening? We spent $14,000 a year per person on healthcare, almost double what any other country spends, and yet people around the world are living on average four years longer than we do.

所以我对我的民主党朋友们说，仅仅捍卫《平价医疗法案》是不够的。这个体系已经不灵了。你们必须有勇气站出来，让我们做到像其他主要国家那样，把医疗保健作为一项人权保障给所有人，而不是让制药公司和保险公司每年赚取巨额利润。总统先生，我想谈一个几乎没有被讨论过但我认为非常重要的问题，它能够揭示当今社会的许多问题。根据国际研究，在美国，我们的平均寿命比其他国家低大约四年。大多数欧洲国家的人活得更长，而在日本，人们的寿命甚至比欧洲还长。所以第一个问题是，为什么会这样？我们每年在医疗保健上的花费是每人1.4万美元，几乎是其他国家的两倍，但全球人均寿命却比我们多四年。

But here is the really ugly fact, even worse than that. And that is that in this country, on average, if you are a working class person, you will live seven years shorter lives than if you're in the top 1%. If you're a working class person, your life will be seven years shorter than if you are wealthy. In other words, being poor or working class in America today amounts to a death sentence. Mr. President, it's not only a broken healthcare system, we have got to ask ourselves a simple question, and the Biden administration began a little bit of movement in this direction. And that is why are we living in a nation where one out of four people can't even afford the prescription drugs their doctors prescribe? Why are we in some cases paying 10 times more than our neighbors in Canada or in Europe? How does that happen?

在这个国家，有一个非常不幸的事实，比一般人还要糟糕。那就是，如果你是工薪阶层，你的平均寿命会比前1%的富人短七年。换句话说，在当今的美国，贫穷或属于工薪阶层几乎等同于一张死刑判决书。总统先生，这不仅仅是一个破碎的医疗体系的问题，我们还必须问自己一个简单的问题，拜登政府在这方面已经有了一些进展。那就是，为什么我们生活在一个四分之一的人甚至负担不起医生所开的处方药的国家？为什么我们在某些情况下支付的费用比加拿大或欧洲的邻国高出十倍？这种情况是怎么发生的？

And the answer, of course, has to do with the greed of the pharmaceutical industry and their power right here all to the campaign contributions that they make, which has prevented us from negotiating prices. But it's not just healthcare or prescription drugs when we look at what's going on in America. In Vermont and throughout this country, we have a major housing crisis. Here we are, the richest country on earth, 800,000 people sleeping out on the streets, and 20 million people are spending more than 50% of their limited incomes on housing. Can you imagine that? If you're a working person, spending 50% of your income on housing, how do you have money to do anything else? And the cost of the housing is soaring. Do not tell me, Mr. President, that in a nation which could spend a trillion dollars on the military, a nation that could give massive tax breaks to the rich that we cannot build the millions of units of housing that we desperately need.

当然，问题的根源在于制药行业的贪婪及其在竞选捐款中所发挥的强大影响力，这使我们无法协商药品价格。 但在美国，问题不仅仅限于医疗和处方药。在佛蒙特州和整个国家，我们面临严重的住房危机。我们生活在这个地球上最富有的国家，然而有80万人露宿街头，另有2000万人花费超过50%的有限收入在住房上。你能想象吗？如果你是一个工薪阶层，花一半的收入在住房上，那么其他事情要怎么承担呢？而房价还在飙升。请不要告诉我，总统先生，在一个能够在军事上花费万亿美元、可以给富人提供巨大税收优惠的国家，建造我们急需的数百万套住房是不可能的。

So, Mr. President, why is all of this happening? Why do we have a healthcare system as broken, prescription drugs that are the most expensive in the world, the housing system, education in deep trouble, talk to educators in Vermont all over the country, talk to a principal the other day from Vermont, they're starting salary at a public school $32,000 a year. But don't worry, they can't afford to even bring people in because they can't afford the housing in the community. Why have we let education sink to the level that it has? So, I think the bottom line of all this, the American people, I think, are catching on.

那么，总统先生，为什么会发生这一切呢？为什么我们的医疗系统如此糟糕，处方药是世界上最贵的，住房系统和教育也深陷困境？在佛蒙特州以及全国各地和教育工作者交谈，最近和一位来自佛蒙特的校长谈话，他们在公立学校的起薪是每年32,000美元。但别担心，他们甚至负担不起把人招进来，因为社区的住房太贵了。为什么我们让教育水平下降到现在的地步？所以，我认为问题的核心在于，美国人民开始看清这一切了。

And Mr. Musk, I must thank him because he has made it very clear. We are living in an oligarchic form of society. Anybody out there thinks that Mr. Musk is running around out of the goodness of his heart trying to make our government more efficient, you have not a clue as to what is going on. What these guys want to do is destroy virtually every federal program that impacts the well-being of working people, social security, Medicare, postal service, public education, you name it. So, they can get huge tax breaks for the rich and eventually make governments so inefficient that they will have the ability as large corporations to come in and privatize everything that is going on.

穆斯克先生，我必须感谢他，因为他已经非常清楚地表明了这一点。我们生活在一种寡头政治形式的社会中。任何人如果以为穆斯克先生是出于好心来提高我们政府的效率，那你就完全不了解实际情况。这些人想要做的是破坏几乎所有影响劳动人民福利的联邦项目，比如社会保障、医疗保险、邮政服务和公共教育等等。这样一来，他们就能为富人获取巨额减税优惠，最终让政府变得非常低效，以便大公司可以接管并私有化一切事务。

So, Mr. President, this is a pivotal moment in American history. And I sense that the American people have had it up to here. They are prepared to fight back. They do not want a government run by billionaires who have it all, whose greed is uncontrollable. We have them Vermont and I think all over this country serious problem with addiction, with drugs, people drinking too much alcohol, people smoking too many cigarettes. But the worst form of addiction that this country now faces is the greed of the oligarchy. You might think that if you had 10, 20 billion dollars, it would be enough. Kind of enough to let your family live for the next 20 generations.

总统先生，这是美国历史上的一个关键时刻。我觉得美国人民已经忍无可忍了，他们准备反击。他们不希望政府被那些贪婪无度的亿万富翁所掌控。在佛蒙特州以及全国各地，我们面临着严重的成瘾问题，有人滥用药物，有人过量饮酒，还有人吸烟过多。但是，现在这个国家面临的最严重的成瘾形式，是少数富豪的贪婪。你可能会想，如果你已经有了十亿、二百亿美元，那应该足够了，足以让你的家族在未来二十代里过上好日子。

But it's not. For whatever reason, whatever compulsive reason they have, these guys want more and more and more and they are prepared to destroy social security, Medicare, nutrition programs for hungry people in order to get even more. That to me is disgusting. So, Mr. President, we are at a pivotal moment in American history. But having been all over this country, many parts of this country, I am absolutely confident that the American people, and I'm not just talking about Democrats, who are as complicit in the problems that we have right now, is our Republicans. Because we got a two-party system which is basically corrupt.

但事实并非如此。无论出于何种原因，无论出于何种强迫性的理由，这些人都想要越来越多，他们甚至愿意破坏社会保障、医疗保险以及饥饿人群的营养计划来获得更多。在我看来，这是令人厌恶的。所以，总统先生，我们正处于美国历史的一个关键时刻。但我走遍了这个国家的许多地方，我绝对相信美国人民，我不仅仅指民主党人，他们和共和党人在我们目前的问题上同样有责任。因为我们有一个基本上腐败的两党制度。

You got Mr. Musk over on the Republican side saying to any Republican who dares to stand up and defy the Trump agenda, we are going to primary you. And on the Democratic side, you got eight pack and you got other super PACs saying you stand up for working people, you're in trouble as well. We got a corrupt campaign finance system in which billionaires are able to buy elections. And that's why all over this country, people are not happy with our two-party system, the Republicans and the Democrats.

在共和党那边，马斯克先生对任何敢于反对特朗普议程的共和党人说，我们会在初选中挑战你。在民主党那边，有“八人超级政治行动委员会”和其他超级政治行动委员会说，如果你支持工人阶级，你也会有麻烦。我们现在的竞选资金系统很腐败，亿万富翁能够用钱来操控选举。这就是为什么全国上下对我们的两党制——共和党和民主党——感到不满的原因。

So, Mr. President, this is a pivotal moment in American history. But we have had difficult moments before. And I am confident from the bottom of my heart that if we stand together and we do not allow some right-wing extremists to divide us up by the color of our skin or our religion or where we were born or our sexual orientation, if we stand together, we can save this country. We can defeat oligarchy, we can defeat the movement toward authoritarianism. And in fact, we can create an economy and a government that works for all, not just a few. Thank you very much for listening.

总统先生，这是美国历史上的一个关键时刻。但我们以前也经历过困难时刻。我发自内心地相信，如果我们团结在一起，不让某些右翼极端分子以肤色、宗教、出生地或性取向来分裂我们，我们就能拯救这个国家。我们可以战胜寡头政治的发展趋势，抵御向威权主义靠拢。而且，事实上，我们可以创建一个为所有人服务的经济和政府，而不仅仅是为少数人服务。非常感谢您的聆听。