Knowledge is Wealth

You've heard the phrase "time is money?" Maybe it's time for a stronger principle to replace it: Knowledge is wealth.

Let's say you are the owner of a business, the head of a marketing department, someone who sells things to customers - or a leader in a church.

Wouldn't you like to know what people are thinking?

Frank Luntz has conducted thousands of hours of research to discover the answer to that question, and his latest book "What Americans Really Want...Really" is a fascinating journey into the mind and actions of people in America.

It's a book about understanding priorities, not trivialities or frivolities. It's about the contradictions, large and small, between what we want and what we really need.

Luntz discovers what we are thinking in diverse areas from corporate policy to what we eat to our religious views - and everything in between. His major conclusion? We are a nation of well-meaning hypocrites:

• We want smaller, less intrusive government, yet we want more oversight of the economy and oppose specific budget cuts.


• We want taxes lowered, but we won't accept a decline in the quantity and quality of services and we aren't eager to pay for stuff ourselves.


• We say we eat healthy, but just look at what we actually consume.


• We say we care about the environment, but we won't give up our pickups or SUVs.

If you're looking for a real discussion of our public hopes and private fears, wants, and needs, you've come to the right place.

Tomorrow: Luntz's nine priorities on what America really needs.