Marketplace for January 3, 2011

Commentator David Leonhardt proposes to rein in health care costs to put more money in consumers' pockets.

When you're in the middle of the United States, shipping to international markets can at first seem slow and expensive. But the nearby Great Lakes is actually turning out to be an emerging shipping center. Dan Bobkoff reports.

With online competitors like Amazon, college bookstores are moving towards being just stores. Along with their course reading list, students at some universities can pick up a new phone and lunch at their campus stores.

Facebook may be worth as much as $50 billion after the social media behemoth reportedly landed a $450 million investment from Goldman Sachs and another $50 million from a Russian firm. And Goldman is reportedly lining up wealthy investors to plow more money into the company. Reporter Steve Henn talks with Kai Ryssdal about whether Facebook needs to go public if it can raise so much money by itself.

How did Wikipedia raise $16 million -- twice the amount it raised last year -- in just six weeks? Mitchell Hartman reports that it may have had to do with the face of founder Jimmy Wales.

States all around the country are facing huge deficits. One in particular is Illinois, which is currently trying to plug a $13 billion gap -- almost half the size of the state's total budget. Jeff Tyler reports.

Now the Republicans are in power in the House, many are wondering how Congress will vote in raising the debt limit -- how much the government is allowed to borrow. Some say the GOP will use the debate as a bargaining chip. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.

Shoppers are beginning to shop again, but many are still sticking to the discount stores. And that's good for the likes of Dollar General, which announced a major expansion today.