Conspicuous consumption reveals tax policy excesses Every age gets the stately mansions it deserves.
In Washington State, Charles Simonyi, the chief programmer at Microsoft, has built a bachelor's nest big as a train terminal, with stainless-steel trusses and a bed that rotates to capture his lakeside view. If you listened to Mozart horn concertos the last time you visited, you might find them on again when you come back. In Washington, the houses think. In Los Angeles, they overwhelm. Another TV mogul, Merv Griffin, has acquired an entire mountaintop for his dream house, which will include a heliport, a 360-degree living room and 40,000 square feet of marble.