美国全美50州投票结果（每日外刊0908-美国各州正在培养出两极分化）

每日外刊0908-美国各州正在培养出两极分化背景知识在英国《经济学人》9月1日公布的发表最新一期杂志封面中，美国自由女神像玩起了“一字马”：尽管脚下底座已开始分崩坍塌，她仍尴尬地劈着叉，故作镇定捧着《独立宣言》并高举火炬，而那火焰恰好“烧断”了。

背景知识

在英国《经济学人》9月1日公布的发表最新一期杂志封面中，美国自由女神像玩起了“一字马”：尽管脚下底座已开始分崩坍塌，她仍尴尬地劈着叉，故作镇定捧着《独立宣言》并高举火炬，而那火焰恰好“烧断”了头顶醒目的标语——美利坚分众国（The Disunited States of America）。“分裂”“对抗”“两极分化”，它们既是杂志封面故事反复提及的形容词，也正是这副讽刺画作想要揭露的美国社会现实。美国各州现在在重要的议题上自行其是，政客们正在打一场全国性的文化战争。这导致美国社会极端主义扩散，也催生了新的对抗式政治。

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American states are now Petri dishes of polarization

美国各州正在培养出两极分化

Two states, two very different states of mind. On August 25th California banned the sale of petrol-powered cars from 2035, a move that will reshape the car industry, reduce carbon emissions and strain the state's electricity grid. On the same day in Texas a "trigger" law banned abortion from the moment of conception, without exceptions for rape or incest. Those who perform abortions face up to 99 years in prison.

两个州，两种截然不同的状态。8月25日，加利福尼亚州从2035年起禁止销售汽油驱动的汽车，此举将重塑汽车行业，减少碳排放，并使该州的电力网更加紧张。同一天，在得克萨斯州，一项 "触发式 "法律禁止从受孕的那一刻开始堕胎，强奸或乱伦的情况下没有例外。实施堕胎的人将面临最高99年的监禁。

These two events may seem unrelated, but they are symptoms of an important trend. Washington, dc, may be largely gridlocked, but the states are making policies at a furious pace. In theory, that is no bad thing. With 50 states, America has 50 laboratories to test which policies work and which do not. People can choose to live and companies can opt to operate in places where their preferences are reflected in local rules, as many did during the pandemic, typically moving to states with fewer restrictions. Each state can make its own trade-off between the weight of taxes and the generosity of public services. Any state can learn from neighbours with better schools or business regulations.

这两个事件似乎毫无关联，但它们是一个重要趋势的征兆。华盛顿特区可能在很大程度上陷入僵局，但各州正以迅猛的速度制定政策。从理论上讲，这并不是一件坏事。美国有50个州，有50个实验室来测试哪些政策可行，哪些不可行。人们可以选择生活，公司可以选择在当地规则中反映其偏好的地方经营，正如许多人在大流行期间所做的那样，通常会搬到限制较少的州。每个州都可以在税收的比重和公共服务的慷慨程度之间做出自己的权衡。任何一个州都可以向拥有更好的学校或商业法规的邻居学习。

Alas, this constructive form of federalism is not what state politicians are pursuing today. Instead, they are fighting a national culture war: prescribing what can be discussed in classrooms, how easy it is to buy and carry a gun, which medical interventions may be offered to teenagers who identify as transgender, and what sort of benefits unlawful immigrants may claim. Such issues enrage both parties' partisans in a way that, say, fixing the roads or refining tax policy does not. Moderates might prefer less rage and more road-mending, but many state politicians can safely ignore them.

唉，这种建设性的联邦主义形式并不是各州政客们今天所追求的。相反，他们正在打一场全国性的文化战争：规定在课堂上可以讨论什么，购买和携带枪支有多容易，可以向认定为变性人的青少年提供哪些医疗干预措施，以及非法移民可以申请什么样的福利。这些问题在某种程度上激怒了两党的党派，而修路或完善税收政策则不会。温和派可能希望少些愤怒，多些修路，但许多州的政客可以放心地忽略这些问题。

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