Some day, when our great-grandchildren are huddled around a fire in an old oil drum trying to keep warm, one of them will ask “how did civilization end?” and the answer will be “a man named Grover Norquist got Republicans to sign a pledge never to raise taxes.” It’s not clear whether it’s ignorance or malevolence, but the modern Republican party appears to be so afraid of Mr. Norquist and his Americans for Tax Reform that they’re offering two choices – destroy the United States economy, or destroy the world economy, because the alternative of asking hedge fund managers and Fortune 500 CEOs to toss a few dollars into the kettle is unacceptable.

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