What is the business of America? At his Congressional hearing for appointment as President Eisenhower's Secretary of Defense in 1953, General Motors CEO Charles Wilson told the Senate that "for years" he thought that "what was good for General Motors was good for America." Considering the world situation at the time (the Korean War) he wasn't so sure.

Undoubtedly, many readers of this column will be quick to suggest that the business of our nation is business, which affects everything from health to politics. When Moses came down Mount Saini with the Ten Commandments, he found his people worshiping a golden calf. Today that calf has grown up and many worship a golden bull…market.

We follow the Dow religiously, and cheer when it, the NASDAQ or S&P 500 reach new records. My first journalism job was with The Wall Street Journal; during an economic slump, we made wagers on the number of new "lows" each day. Today, there are numerous cable channels that do nothing but cover business day and night. Some shows feature various aspects of business deals, the investors, speculators and the would-be entrepreneurs. We seem drawn to numbers like moths to the lacy curtains nearest a bright lamp.

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