“反向春运”:阖家团圆就是幸福年******
【春运进行时】
“明天开始我就不点外卖了。这张小餐桌终于能放一些父母做的美食了!”今年春节前夕,已经在北京工作6年的王冰柯终于如愿让父母答应从老家云南大理来北京过年。帮父母买完机票后,王冰柯就开始打电话约保洁,“平时工作比较忙,没好好收拾过家,过年前要来一次大扫除,干干净净迎接父母到来”。
提到春运,在许多人的习惯认知里就是节前集中回乡、节后扎堆返城的人口“大迁徙”。但如今,随着人们思想观念的转变,像王冰柯父母这样的“反向春运”旅客越来越多。“反向春运”也被称为“反向团圆”,是指年轻人将老家的父母和孩子接来自己工作的城市过年,节后再返乡。这一新潮的过年方式,子女可以不用顾忌放假时间、高速拥堵、票价高昂等因素,既可以尽到孝心,又能一家人团圆。
王冰柯告诉记者,作为常年在北京工作的外地人,过年的首选肯定还是回老家。但他家离北京比较远,春节假期掐头去尾在家也待不了几天,回大理的经济成本、时间成本都较高,所以今年王冰柯决定让父母来北京一起过年,顺便也可以带父母去北京周边的景点转转。
“就拿机票来说吧,如果我大年二十九或除夕从北京回大理,机票加税费需要2600元,但同时间段从大理飞北京的航班一张票只要不到600元,这样算起来父母两人往返机票加起来还不如我自己的一张单程票贵。”王冰柯表示,另外,春节期间大理的游客非常多,物价也随之上涨,在老家过年真不如在北京过年划算。
某旅行网站发布的2023春运出行预测报告显示,北京、上海、广州、深圳、杭州等大城市是今年“春运”的热门目的地,和常规意义下的热门航线相比,“反向春运”热点航线票价折扣力度非常大,票源也十分充足。与此同时,铁路部门也扩大了非高峰方向票价折扣优惠列车范围,为“反向春运”旅客提供了价格更加低廉的选择。
北京交通大学教授张晓东指出,“反向春运”这种现象的出现是多方面因素共同作用而成的。在客观上有春运运输资源倒挂的因素,一票难求的情况下,一些人开始反其道而行之,换一种过年团聚的方式。在主观上也折射出公众理念的转变,随着社会的发展,故土难离的观念逐渐淡化,越来越多的人开始认同,只要家人聚在一起,在哪里过都是团圆年。
此外,“反向春运”客流的增长,除了观念上的转变外,也和人口构成不无关联。中国城市规划设计研究院城市交通研究分院院长赵一新表示,春节的意义在于一家人团圆,上代父母往往养育了多个孩子,所以这些孩子们共同回到父母身边是团圆的基本模式。但如今独生子女比例很高,这类家庭中不论是孩子回到父母身边,还是父母来到孩子身边,对于团圆本身来说意义相同,所以许多这类家庭对于“回家过年”和“反向春运”都抱着开放的态度。
就交通运输的特性而言,南来北往、满载而归应该是其运力均衡配置和利益最大化的理想境界。交通运输部运输服务司相关负责人表示,交通运输部门对“反向春运”机票车票的打折优惠,就是其对乘客积极填补这种运力空档的一种经济引领,假如“反向春运”成为更多旅客的过年选择,受益的将不只是交通运输企业,更可不同程度地提升乘车者出行舒适度。
“平常因为工作忙,和父母的沟通就是打打电话、发发视频,对于父母而言,过年期间的团聚可能是他们一年中最大的期待。”王冰柯说,不论是正向还是反向,也不论是在老家还是大城市,只要能够阖家团圆,就是一个幸福年。
(本报记者 訾谦)
中新网评:美国众议长选举“连续剧”暴露美式民主痼疾******
中新网北京1月9日电(蒋鲤)在15轮投票表决后,美国众议院议长选举这场“连续剧”终于落下帷幕,众议院共和党领袖凯文·麦卡锡最终成功当选第55任美国众议院议长。这是美国国会过去164年来耗时最久的一次议长选举记录,将美国“对抗式民主”的弊端暴露无遗。
资料图:美国众议院共和党领袖麦卡锡。中新社记者 沙晗汀摄
由于两党对立加剧、党派内斗、利益分配不均等因素,众议长选举陷入一场拉锯战。在此次众议长竞选中,美国民主党议员继续抱团,多轮投票中,一票不投麦卡锡,共和党右翼“强硬派”领头的约20人小团体也拒绝投票麦卡锡。
麦卡锡的当选之路一波三折,除了本人的“政治投机派”角色在国会不受欢迎外,与共和党内部政治分歧关系密切。
一方面,共和党党内反对者认为,麦卡锡对民主党态度过于软弱,无力对抗民主党控制的参议院和拜登政府,另一方面,因为共和党的多数优势微弱,党内一些影响力较小的派系的政治力量则被放大,有利于他们巩固自己的选票。
此外,党内反对者也认为,自己的选票没有换取更多利益,希望以此作为筹码换取麦卡锡更大的让步,比如让他们获得众议院重要委员会中的职务。
作为仅次于美国总统、副总统的政坛三号人物,众议院议长通常由众议院多数党领袖担任,选举几乎没有悬念。然而,麦卡锡此次为当选,不得不做出多个关键让步,其中可能包括恢复一项罢黜议长动议机制,使得众议长的权力被削弱,难以掌控众议院。
美国有线电视新闻网CNN称,麦卡锡在这场不合时宜的政治勒索中作出让步,这种绥靖政策只会让极端主义势力更加强大。
这场引发全世界围观的尴尬选举暴露出美国政治存在严重的对立和分化。在权力博弈思维的裹挟下,党派利益凌驾于国家和人民利益之上,美国两党相互拆台,陷入“为反对而反对”的无脑对垒。而即便是一党内,也会因为利益分配问题产生不同的小派系,相互对抗,选票变成了谋利益的工具。
从国会山骚乱到打破记历史记录的15轮众议长选举,“对抗式民主”让美国政治陷入瓶颈,长期对抗势必会让政客们丧失客观公正的判断能力,其政治阶层是否有能力治理国家也会引发质疑。
两党之争和党派内斗进一步放大了美国政治体制弊病,美国所谓的“民主”形象,让全世界大跌眼镜。鼓吹以选民利益为先的美式选举,变成了政客们利益置换的游戏,进一步彰显出美国“民主政治”日渐失能,不断极化的党争已使美国政治制度陷入死循环。
House speaker election reveals deep-rooted problems in U.S. democracy
(ECNS) -- The Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was elected as the 55th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives after 15 ballots. As the most grueling House speaker election in the past 164 years, the election has highlighted the defects of the country’s "confrontational democracy".
The election once reached a stalemate due to intense partisan strife, inner-party struggle among the Republicans, uneven distribution of interests, and more. Democratic Party members forged a close alliance, refusing to vote for McCarthy, while about 20 Republicans also declined to cast ballots for the GOP leader.
Except for his unpopular role as a "political speculator" in Congress, McCarthy’s hard-won election can be attributed to turmoil within the Republican Party.
On the one hand, opponents in the Republican Party believe that the GOP leader's attitude toward the Democrats is too weak to confront the Senate controlled by Democrats and the Biden administration.
On the other hand, the political power of some less influential factions in the Republican Party has been amplified due to the Party’s weak majority advantage in the House of Representatives, which is conducive to consolidating their ticket warehouses.
Meanwhile, these opponents believe that their votes failed to win them more benefits, hoping to use this as a bargaining chip for McCarthy's further concessions, such as getting them positions in important House Committees.
As the third political figure after the President and Vice President of the U.S., the speaker, by tradition, is the head of the majority party in the House of Representatives.
But McCarthy has made many concessions in order to bring the ultra conservatives along, involving what’s known as the “motion to vacate,” a mechanism by which members can force a vote to depose the speaker. The reported concessions will empower individual members at the expense of McCarthy’s sway as speaker.
CNN thought the concessions he made during this unseemly political shakedown would only make the extremist faction more powerful.
This embarrassing election, which has drawn global attention, exposed the serious opposition and polarization in American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans put their interests before that of the country and its people, attacking and opposing each other irrationally.
Besides, different factions arise within a single party and confront each other because of the distribution of interests. Votes have become a tool to win more benefits.
From Capitol riots to the House Speaker election with record-breaking ballots, "confrontational democracy" has become a bottleneck of American politics. Long-term confrontation will surely impede politicians to think objectively and fairly while their capacity of governing the country will also raise doubts among the public.
Both parties’ struggle and infighting among the Republicans have further amplified the defects of the American political system, with its "democratic" image shocking the world.
The U.S.-style election, which advocates putting voters' interests first, has become a game of interest exchange among politicians. In addition, it further demonstrates the malfunction of American "democratic politics" and the constantly polarized party struggle that has trapped the American political system into an infinite cycle.
(文图:赵筱尘 巫邓炎)