12月25日的圣诞又要到来了。圣诞节是美国人 盛大、 重要的节日。美国在圣诞节期间可是会放假的,一般来说,25日之前的几天,美国人已经就开始准备假期了。然而在今年,美国总统奥巴马一家连续第八次到夏威夷过圣诞,此举遭到猛烈抨击。 Barack Obama has been savaged by a top spending campaigner for taking the First Family on an eighth consecutive Christmas vacation to Hawaii, at huge expense to the American taxpayer. 至今年为止,美国总统奥巴马一家已连续第八次到夏威夷过圣诞,此举遭到一位著名监督政府开支的活动人士的猛烈抨击,称家庭浪费了纳税人的大量钱财。 The President was accused of treating Air Force One, which costs $206,000/hour to run, 'like an Uber ride'. 奥巴马被指将“空军一号”当成了自己的“优步专车”——“空军一号”飞行费用达每小时20.6万美元。 Fly-time alone will set taxpayers back somewhere in the region of $3.5million as Obama, the First Lady, Sasha and Malia and their two dogs jet off for around two weeks. 此次奥巴马夫妇携女儿萨沙和玛利亚以及两只宠物狗的两周之行,预计仅飞行一项开支就会花掉纳税人350万美元。 They have traditionally rented a luxury villa in the upscale Kailua area on Oahu, the main island, and head out for hikes, rounds of golf and restaurant meals with their friends. 按惯例,他们一家会在夏威夷主岛瓦胡岛的开鲁瓦高档小区租一所豪华别墅住下来,然后在周边徒步旅行,打高尔夫,或与友人到餐厅聚餐。 Tom Fitton, the head of the Judicial Watch pressure group, said Obama's holiday habit proves that he is out of touch - and has to stop. “司法观察”活动组织负责人汤姆·菲顿说,奥巴马的假期习惯证明他已经脱离人民了,必须予以制止。 He told AL.com: 'The Obamas' travel is out of control. They are treating the Air Force One like an Uber ride. 他对阿拉巴马网表示:“奥巴马一家的旅行已经不受控制了。他们把空军一号当成了优步专车。” 'And President Obama seems oblivious to the burden he is placing on Americans with his continuous vacations, getaways, and political junkets at taxpayer expense.' “面对他给美国人民带来的负担,奥巴马总统好像视而不见,他仍然继续用纳税人的钱进行着不间断的假期、出游以及政治宴请。” During the trips, the Obamas are accompanied by a substantial Secret Service detail, who costs thousands of dollars a day to accommodate in the idyllic vacation spot. 在旅行期间,奥巴马一家还需要大量特勤人员陪同。在那些田园般的度假胜地,光这些特勤人员每天的住宿费用就高达成千上万美元。 Local police also work overtime and an ambulance trails the Presidential party at all times in case of disaster - all of which will push the total further into the millions. 当地警察也要加班加点陪护;总统举办晚宴时,为防止突发事件,救护车也要随时跟随总统左右——所有这一切将会把花费进一步推高到数百万美元。 Although some expenses - including the rent - are paid for privately, the emergency personnel and daily expenses of Obama's security detail are all publicly-funded. 尽管有些租金等花费是由总统自己掏腰包的,但是应急人员和奥巴马特勤人员的日常消费都来自公共资金。 Exact figures for the trip - outside of Air Force One - are hard to obtain. According to a Watchdog.com report on the 2014 trip, there is also an Air Force cargo plane to bring Obama's helicopter and limo, which costs more than $150,000 to get to Hawaii and back. 除了“空中一号”,整个旅行的确切花费外人很难得知。根据watchdog.com网站2014年的报告,还有一架空军货运飞机负责运送奥巴马的直升机和房车,这架货运飞机往返夏威夷要花费超过15万美元。 A second plane brings a Marine Corps contingent at similar cost. 还有一架飞机负责运送海军陆战队特遣队,花费跟上边那架差不多。 The Honolulu Police Department also spends in the region of $275,000 a year in overtime for its officers, while the ambulance from the local Emergency Management Services costs $15,890 to keep on call. 檀香山警察局每年也要多花费27.5万美元,用来支付警官们的加班工资;当地紧急服务部门还要准备一辆救护车随时候命,需花费15890美元。 Secret Service agents - of whom there are said to be 'dozens' each year - are reportedly housed at a cost of around $200 per person per night, while material for other security measures would also be met from White House funds. 每年需要数十名特勤人员——据说这些人光住宿费每人每晚就要大约200美金,而其他安全措施所需材料同样要从白宫资金里出。 Vocabulary savage:凶猛地攻击;猛烈地抨击 pressure group:(议院的)院外活动集团 (责任编辑:admin) |
文中图片素材来源网络,如有侵权请联系删除