我們履行了自己的職責

里根是美國第40任總統，任期從1981年到1989年。在他任內，美國經濟因其供應經濟學政策而繁榮，同時也留下了龐大的財政赤字，他還被認為推動了柏林墻的倒塌。這是他結束任期前對美國人民的講話。

My fellow Americans，

This is the 34th time I’ll speak to you from the 1)Oval Office and the last. We’ve been together eight years now， and soon it’ll be time for me to go. But before I do， I wanted to share some thoughts， some of which I’ve been saving for a long time.

It’s been the honor of my life to be your President. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks， but I could say as much to you. 2)Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.

One of the things about the Presidency is that you’re always somewhat apart. You spent a lot of time going by too fast in a car someone else is driving， and seeing the people through 3)tinted glass—the parents holding up a child， and the wave you saw too late and couldn’t return. And so many times I wanted to stop and reach out from behind the glass， and connect. Well， maybe I can do a little of that tonight.

I never meant to go into politics. It wasn’t my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the 4)blessings 5)bestowed on you. I was happy with 6)my career in the entertainment world， but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect something precious.

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government， and with three little words: “7)We the People.” “We the People” tell the government what to do; it doesn’t tell us. “We the People” are the driver; the government is the car. And we decide where it should go， and by what route， and how fast. Almost all the world’s constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which “We the People” tell the government what it is allowed to do. “We the People” are free. This belief has been the 8)underlying basis for everything I’ve tried to do these past eight years.

But back in the 1960’s， when I began， it seemed to me that we’d begun reversing the order of things—that through more and more rules and regulations and 9)confiscatory taxes， the government was taking more of our money， more of our options， and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say， “Stop.” I was a citizen politician， and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do.

I’ve been asked if I have any regrets. Well， I do. The deficit is one. I’ve been talking a great deal about that lately， but tonight isn’t for arguments， and I’m going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I’ve had my share of victories in the Congress， but what few people noticed is that I never won anything you didn’t win for me. They never saw my troops， they never saw Reagan’s regiments， the American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote demanding action. Well， action is still needed. If we’re to finish the job， Reagan’s 10)regiments will have to become the 11)Bush brigades. Soon he’ll be the chief， and he’ll need you every bit as much as I did.

We’ve done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets， a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution， the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren’t just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger， we made the city freer， and we left her in good hands.

All in all， not bad， not bad at all.

And so， goodbye， God bless you， and God bless the United States of America.

美國同胞們:

這是我第34次，也是最后一次在白宮橢圓形辦公室向你們講話。我們一起走過了8年的歷程，我卸任的時刻即將到來。但是，在此之前，我想與你們分享一些想法，其中有些想法我醞釀已久。

能成為你們的總統，是我終身的榮耀。過去幾周里，你們中的許多人來信表示謝意，但是，我更要向你們說聲謝謝。我和南希感謝你們給了我們為國家效力的機會。

作為一名總統，一個特殊之處就在于我總是多少有點與世隔絕之感。很多時候，我都是坐在一輛由別人駕駛的車里，匆匆而過，透過染色玻璃看大家——抱著孩子的父母一晃而過，我來不及回應他們的揮手。多少次，我想停下來，從車窗后面伸出手來，與人們作一番交流。或許，今晚我能夠實現這一心愿。

我從未想過步入政壇，這不是我年輕時的志向。但是，我從小就接受這樣的教誨，相信你自己必須回報你的所得。我當時對自己從事的演藝事業感到滿意，但是，我最終進入政界，是因為我要保護一些彌足珍貴的東西。

我們所經歷的變革，用幾個簡單的字“我們人民”，就在人類歷史上第一次真正改變了政府的演變進程。“我們人民”告訴政府，而不是政府告訴“我們人民”該做什么。“我們人民”是駕駛員——而政府則是一輛汽車。……