Citizens for Tax Justice and The Economist point out that U.S. tax revenues are at a historic low and are far less than other industrial countries.  The Republican determination not to agree to any revenue increase to reduce the U.S. deficit resembles a cult and sacred fixation wrote David Brooks and Richard Cohen in opinion pieces in the Washington Post on July 4th.  The extreme position of Republicans, such as author of the Republican Budget Paul Ryan, is based on the ideology of Ayn Rand, who regarded altruism as a basic evil and challenged the idea that a person's duty is to serve others.  Download a summary with weblinks to articles:

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