VOA常速英語(yǔ)聽(tīng)力:美國(guó)普通人應(yīng)對(duì)預(yù)算危機(jī)
Average American Struggles to Control Spending
As the debate intensifies in Washington over raising the debt ceiling, some Americans admit that they too have trouble balancing their budgets.
"John, you weren't here but there was a huge tree we took down. Huge," said landscaper Kraig Leatherman. He says many Americans have no idea how close they are to financial collapse. He didn't. But this former insurance salesman learned from hard experience. When the recession hit, his sales commissions dried up, and his money ran out. "I have actually been through bankruptcy once and I have lost a house. Very, very painful events. Very stressful events. And as I looked back, I could have pointed the finger but as I look back I really looked at my lack of personal financial prudence as a reason for that really," he said.
Now, having traded an office job for work boots, he prunes pear trees, weeds flower beds and clears poison ivy with the help of a small crew he has hired for his fledgling business.
On a hot summer day in Glyndon, Maryland, the debt ceiling debate in Washington seems far away. But it's very much on Leatherman's mind. "The federal government serves as a horrible role model for the average family," he said.
That, says Leatherman, is because the government finances itself through debt and spends money it does not have, kind of like he did.
Rainfall brings Leatherman's work to a pause, so he sits down with us to describe how he brought his financial house back to order. "Each week I write down all my business expenditures and all my income coming in, and I do a cumulative total so I know where I am, because a business that does not know where it's been isn't going to really know how to get where it wants to go," he said.
Economists call that basic budgeting. It has saved Leatherman from financial insolvency - that and other tactics like bartering for new equipment. For these tools, he traded his hard labor. Little by little, he says he has pulled himself out of debt. And he is helping others, too, by employing them.
It has been a baptism he says, a new life. And when the day closes he feels calm, for the first time in years.
"When I put my head down on the pillow and I don't [have any] debt, it gives me a little ounce of strength for the next day. I can see my way toward prosperity and abundance," he said.
And Leatherman tells anyone who will listen, and even those who won't, you can get there, too.
隨著華盛頓關(guān)于提高債務(wù)限額的辯論越來(lái)越激烈，一些美國(guó)人也承認(rèn)，他們要平衡預(yù)算也有問(wèn)題。
“John，你不在這里，但是我們剛剛卸下一棵很大的樹(shù)，非常大。”庭園設(shè)計(jì)家Kraig Leatherman說(shuō)。他說(shuō)，許多美國(guó)人不知道自己已經(jīng)很接近經(jīng)濟(jì)崩潰的邊緣。而他沒(méi)有。但是這位前保險(xiǎn)推銷(xiāo)員也是經(jīng)歷了殘酷的境況才吸取教訓(xùn)的。經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退來(lái)臨的時(shí)候，他的傭金幾乎為零，儲(chǔ)蓄也逐漸耗光?！皩?shí)際上我曾經(jīng)經(jīng)歷了破產(chǎn)，而且失去了房子。非常痛苦，非常有壓力。每當(dāng)回首往事的時(shí)候，我都非常后悔，但是每當(dāng)我回憶的時(shí)候，我也明白，造成那種情況的原因就是我缺乏謹(jǐn)慎的個(gè)人理財(cái)方式?！?BR> 現(xiàn)在，他擁有一家剛剛起步的小公司，雇傭了少量員工幫他幫他從事砍樹(shù)，鋤草，清潔的工作。
在馬里蘭州Glyndon一個(gè)炎熱的夏日，華盛頓的債務(wù)限額之爭(zhēng)似乎離他們很遙遠(yuǎn)。但是Leatherman心頭卻掛念著這個(gè)問(wèn)題。“聯(lián)邦政府給普通的家庭樹(shù)立了非常壞的榜樣。”
他說(shuō)，這是因?yàn)檎?cái)政本身就是依靠債務(wù)的，通過(guò)支出自己沒(méi)有的錢(qián)來(lái)維持，就像他過(guò)去一樣。
降雨使Leatherman的工作停了下來(lái)，所以他可以坐下來(lái)向我們描述他是怎樣使自己的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況恢復(fù)正常的?！拔颐恐芏紝?xiě)下所有的支出和所有的收入，然后再累積計(jì)算出總數(shù)，對(duì)我的狀況有一個(gè)綜合的了解。因?yàn)椴涣私庾约含F(xiàn)實(shí)狀況的企業(yè)不可能真正明白自己將去向何處。”
經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家稱這是基本預(yù)算，這使得Leatherman免于經(jīng)濟(jì)破產(chǎn)——還有物物交換等其他工具。在這些策略的幫助下，他逐漸擺脫了債務(wù)。他還通過(guò)雇工幫助了其他人。
他說(shuō)，這是一種考驗(yàn)，是一種全新的生活。當(dāng)一天結(jié)束的時(shí)候，他感到非常平靜，這在多年來(lái)還是第一次。
“當(dāng)我的頭靠在枕頭上的時(shí)候，我會(huì)想到我沒(méi)有債務(wù)，這讓我對(duì)第二天充滿了力量。我可以看到我自己正在走向繁榮和富裕?！?BR> Leatherman告訴能夠聽(tīng)到這篇報(bào)道的所有人，以及沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到的人，你也能夠做到的。
點(diǎn)擊試聽(tīng)：VOA常速:美國(guó)普通人應(yīng)對(duì)預(yù)算危機(jī)
Average American Struggles to Control Spending
As the debate intensifies in Washington over raising the debt ceiling, some Americans admit that they too have trouble balancing their budgets.
"John, you weren't here but there was a huge tree we took down. Huge," said landscaper Kraig Leatherman. He says many Americans have no idea how close they are to financial collapse. He didn't. But this former insurance salesman learned from hard experience. When the recession hit, his sales commissions dried up, and his money ran out. "I have actually been through bankruptcy once and I have lost a house. Very, very painful events. Very stressful events. And as I looked back, I could have pointed the finger but as I look back I really looked at my lack of personal financial prudence as a reason for that really," he said.
Now, having traded an office job for work boots, he prunes pear trees, weeds flower beds and clears poison ivy with the help of a small crew he has hired for his fledgling business.
On a hot summer day in Glyndon, Maryland, the debt ceiling debate in Washington seems far away. But it's very much on Leatherman's mind. "The federal government serves as a horrible role model for the average family," he said.
That, says Leatherman, is because the government finances itself through debt and spends money it does not have, kind of like he did.
Rainfall brings Leatherman's work to a pause, so he sits down with us to describe how he brought his financial house back to order. "Each week I write down all my business expenditures and all my income coming in, and I do a cumulative total so I know where I am, because a business that does not know where it's been isn't going to really know how to get where it wants to go," he said.
Economists call that basic budgeting. It has saved Leatherman from financial insolvency - that and other tactics like bartering for new equipment. For these tools, he traded his hard labor. Little by little, he says he has pulled himself out of debt. And he is helping others, too, by employing them.
It has been a baptism he says, a new life. And when the day closes he feels calm, for the first time in years.
"When I put my head down on the pillow and I don't [have any] debt, it gives me a little ounce of strength for the next day. I can see my way toward prosperity and abundance," he said.
And Leatherman tells anyone who will listen, and even those who won't, you can get there, too.
隨著華盛頓關(guān)于提高債務(wù)限額的辯論越來(lái)越激烈，一些美國(guó)人也承認(rèn)，他們要平衡預(yù)算也有問(wèn)題。
“John，你不在這里，但是我們剛剛卸下一棵很大的樹(shù)，非常大。”庭園設(shè)計(jì)家Kraig Leatherman說(shuō)。他說(shuō)，許多美國(guó)人不知道自己已經(jīng)很接近經(jīng)濟(jì)崩潰的邊緣。而他沒(méi)有。但是這位前保險(xiǎn)推銷(xiāo)員也是經(jīng)歷了殘酷的境況才吸取教訓(xùn)的。經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退來(lái)臨的時(shí)候，他的傭金幾乎為零，儲(chǔ)蓄也逐漸耗光?！皩?shí)際上我曾經(jīng)經(jīng)歷了破產(chǎn)，而且失去了房子。非常痛苦，非常有壓力。每當(dāng)回首往事的時(shí)候，我都非常后悔，但是每當(dāng)我回憶的時(shí)候，我也明白，造成那種情況的原因就是我缺乏謹(jǐn)慎的個(gè)人理財(cái)方式?！?BR> 現(xiàn)在，他擁有一家剛剛起步的小公司，雇傭了少量員工幫他幫他從事砍樹(shù)，鋤草，清潔的工作。
在馬里蘭州Glyndon一個(gè)炎熱的夏日，華盛頓的債務(wù)限額之爭(zhēng)似乎離他們很遙遠(yuǎn)。但是Leatherman心頭卻掛念著這個(gè)問(wèn)題。“聯(lián)邦政府給普通的家庭樹(shù)立了非常壞的榜樣。”
他說(shuō)，這是因?yàn)檎?cái)政本身就是依靠債務(wù)的，通過(guò)支出自己沒(méi)有的錢(qián)來(lái)維持，就像他過(guò)去一樣。
降雨使Leatherman的工作停了下來(lái)，所以他可以坐下來(lái)向我們描述他是怎樣使自己的經(jīng)濟(jì)狀況恢復(fù)正常的?！拔颐恐芏紝?xiě)下所有的支出和所有的收入，然后再累積計(jì)算出總數(shù)，對(duì)我的狀況有一個(gè)綜合的了解。因?yàn)椴涣私庾约含F(xiàn)實(shí)狀況的企業(yè)不可能真正明白自己將去向何處。”
經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家稱這是基本預(yù)算，這使得Leatherman免于經(jīng)濟(jì)破產(chǎn)——還有物物交換等其他工具。在這些策略的幫助下，他逐漸擺脫了債務(wù)。他還通過(guò)雇工幫助了其他人。
他說(shuō)，這是一種考驗(yàn)，是一種全新的生活。當(dāng)一天結(jié)束的時(shí)候，他感到非常平靜，這在多年來(lái)還是第一次。
“當(dāng)我的頭靠在枕頭上的時(shí)候，我會(huì)想到我沒(méi)有債務(wù)，這讓我對(duì)第二天充滿了力量。我可以看到我自己正在走向繁榮和富裕?！?BR> Leatherman告訴能夠聽(tīng)到這篇報(bào)道的所有人，以及沒(méi)有聽(tīng)到的人，你也能夠做到的。
點(diǎn)擊試聽(tīng)：VOA常速:美國(guó)普通人應(yīng)對(duì)預(yù)算危機(jī)