David Ignatius - Jim Webb and the Populist Pitch - washingtonpost.com

Similar to yesterday's post, this gets back to a more equitable tax system. At the very least, if you believe in some sort of government funding, the question is who should pay for it? It just makes sense that the rich should pay more in taxes through a progressive system. The Estate Tax erosion has really hurt the egalitarian nature of the country and makes it a worse place. The rich are always going to be rich (maybe not as rich as some of the new billionaires, but they aren't going to be working either), but the country is stronger when people have a chance at getting there too.

Buffett Slams Tax System Disparities - washingtonpost.com

I guess that's a good sign that Buffett wants to pay more taxes. The punishing/taxing of work never seemed like the fairest way to do things.

Can You Be Too Fashionable? - New York Times

Story about Vera Wang going to Kohl's. This could be disastrous for both sides. Other than money, I'm not sure what Vera Wang gets out of this. If really well executed, this could do well, but when are things really well executed? The other thing is what about Kohl's? Do people that shop there want to spend $100 on a hat or $75 on a skirt? Like they said in the story, they did a ton of quantitative research, but in the end are price points too high? The risk-reward in this venture is not favorable.

My favorite trend is is the H&M/Forever 21 model of selling clothes. Buy now, we'll be sold out later. It's cheap, yet very fashionable. If you have a terrible season, your risk is low because you didn't spend any money on stock or name designers (I'm not sure how H&M gets around this). You stole it from the runways anyways. This is the way that Department stores have got to attack the fashion/stock problem. I'm not sure how long its going to take to kill Macy's (not too far away if this Saturday's stroll through State Street is a sign), but they have got to get in shape fast.

Not Everyone Wants Channel That’s All Big Ten, All the Time - New York Times

This model for the Big Ten Channel is going to be a disaster. The only way anyone is going to want this stuff is if they went to one of the schools. Even then I doubt there are many crazy Indiana football fans. They only thing that would make this great is if they totally lowered costs and went to the Internet for distribution. With this type of long tail for on-demand sports, everyone can be happier. There's no way that I want to pay for Big Ten games that I already get or have no interest in watching.

An Unexpected Odd Couple: Free Markets and Freedom - New York Times

This is a good question whether Democracies need Capitalism or vice versa. The point that China is the big experiment, it's size and demographics will make for a very special case. The author overlooks India. It's constantly touted as the world's largest democracy, but does it really offer the true benefits of a liberal democracy?

Fix the trains and buses | Chicago Tribune

I'm not a huge fan of the Ed Board of the Trib, but I think this was written by someone who knows this issue. It's the best list of reforms for Springfield regarding mass transit in Chicagoland. The RTA does need to get more integrated. The CTA pension needs to be separated from the retiree health plan. These are all necessary and I hope someone in Springfield is listening.

Automakers Push to Head Off Tighter Fuel Standards - New York Times

They are at it again. If Dingell didn't succeed in the 80's this whole country would be in a lot better shape with Climate Change, CO2 emissions thing. Instead we have twice the horsepower on most cars from just ten years ago. The auto industry is so short sighted. If they had to eat this crap earlier, they'd be a lot leaner and meaner and in better shape to take on Toyota.

Michael Gerson - An Islamic Test for Turkey - washingtonpost.com

I enjoy reading Gerson's commentary. He is Bush's conscience. Anyways, I believe he's overlooking the influence of Attaturk. The secular nature of Turkey is founded on that one man. When GW was asking where were Iraq's "Founding Fathers," he should have looked for an Attaturk type figure. W wasn't doing much anything, so enough W bashing.