Speaking at a University of Michigan event this week, Munger said "I believe Costco does more for civilization than the Rockefeller Foundation," and the idea of "very intelligent people sitting around trying to do good" makes him squirm in his seat. Costco has been praised for its gentle treatment of employees.

Munger's view that big-box discount retailers are rich people's greatest gift to their fellow man stands in sharp contrast to that of Buffett, the folksy Nebraskan billionaire and Berkshire Hathaway CEO who plans to give 99 percent of his wealth away to charity.

It's to be expected that big-time executives view economic growth and entrepreneurship as the chief path to success. It's more rare, though not unheard-of, to hear such a view stated so plainly.

The keen reader will note that I complain about having gone to Harvard, all the way to the bank. O.K. But I was a University of Michigan student trapped in a Harvard student's body.

Here's my latest complaint. According to my calculations, by 2032, Harvard will be putting out more self-referential material for alumni on a weekly basis than the volume of The New York Times. At right is what came into my household just this week. There's a whole new magazine called The Yard. I think they should go daily soon, The Harvard Times.

Heller, now Rep. Jane Harman's communications director, will be playing the same role in Chuck Schumer's office, taking over for Stu Loeser.

She is, we see from this little bio, perfectly qualified for handling her new boss and the New York press. Her degree from the University of Michigan is in psychology and Jewish cultural studies.