Recommended reading

• Gordon Chang on the disaster that is China's high-speed rail system, complete with safety problems, huge financial shortfalls and whispers of people being buried alive. Tom Friedman could not be reached for comment.

• Robert Samuelson examines Obamacare's broken promises.

• Reason has a great article on oysters and the privatization of the commons. Very interesting application of free market principles to solve an environental problem.

• Rep. Paul Ryan delivered a fantastic speech today at the Heritage Foundation. Go read it here.

• Mark Perry on income inequality (particularly note the last chart), Nick Gillespie on income mobility and Greg Mankiw on the rich getting richer poorer.