Since then, several groups have tried to test fairness in our closer and apparently more intelligent cousins - the great apes.

BBC: Puppet experiment suggests humans are born to be fair

And we need to see from Republicans an acknowledgement of that and a willingness to work together towards a compromise that includes revenues that meet the basic test of fairness and balance.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing

In a dissent read from the bench, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg questioned the fairness of the test, which was 60 percent written and 40 percent oral.

CNN: High court backs firefighters in reverse discrimination suit

In test votes, the Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 ( S.743), backed by traditional bricks and mortar retailers, web retailing giant Amazon.com, and state officials, has gotten bipartisan, filibuster proof majorities.

FORBES: While Congress Debates, Internet Shoppers Cough Up Sales Tax

But their eventual verdict on the fairness of the process will be the litmus test for foreign governments.

ECONOMIST: An unappetising choice | The