○  克林顿总统1997年联邦国情咨文演说  ○

i think i should start by saying， thanks for inviting me back. （applause.） i come before you tonight with a challenge as great as any in our peacetime history， and a plan of action to meet that challenge， to prepare our people for the bold new world of the 21st century.

we have much to be thankful for. with four years of growth， we have won back the basic strength of our economy. with crime and welfare rolls declining， we are winning back our optimism， the enduring faith that we can master any difficulty. with the cold war receding and global commerce at record levels， we are helping to win unrivaled peace and prosperity all across the world.

my fellow americans， the state of our union is strong. （applause.） but now we must rise to the decisive moment， to make a nation and a world better than any we have ever known. the new promise of the global economy， the information age， unimagined new work， life-enhancing technology —— all these are ours to seize. that is our honor and our challenge. we must be shapers of events， not observers. for if we do not act， the moment will pass —— and we willlose the best possibilities of our future.

we face no imminent threat， but we do have an enemy —— the enemy of our time is inaction. so， tonight， i issue a call to action —— action by this congress， action by our states， by our people， to prepare america for the 21st century. action to keep our economy and our democracy strong and working for all our people； action to strengthen education and harness the forces of technology and science； action to build stronger families and stronger communities and a safer environment； action to keep america the world’s strongest force for peace， freedom and prosperity. and above all， action to build a more perfect union here at home.

the spirit we bring to our work will make all the difference. we must be committed to the pursuit of opportunity for all americans， 1 2 下一页