IOWA CITY, Iowa — Where the land is not all that flat, the people are lovely and drinking the water is not a good idea. Being back in the Land of Sensible People — to wit, the Midwest — encourages me to do something that any nickel-and-dime cynic would sneer at: ask people to think specifically about the public vs. the private interest, about selfishness and fairness in a most mundane context.

It's the Great Catalogue Stand-Off. Lots of people in this country, includi ...

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