A wise man once told me, money can’t buy happiness but it sure can buy a better brand of sorrow. Even if you don’t believe him, it’s hard to ignore the fact money is the focal point of our lives. Our world revolves around it. We work forty-plus hours a week in order to earn enough of it to survive. Money determines where we live, what car we drive, what clothes we wear, what food we eat, what schools we attend and a myriad of other issues that define ‘quality of life.’ Money is a factor in nearly every crevice of our existence. It’s an economic force that drives some people to crime but also encourages philanthropy. Several people committed suicide when the stock market crashed in 1929. Because of the enormous issues behind the dollar, I would like to cover what I call the “Economic/Business” beat.

There are several public issues related to this theme and I think the topic carries a wide appeal. Everyone is impacted by money and business decisions. It could be the shut down of a company in the community, imminent layoffs, new developments in technology or medicine. Immigration could be impacted by a turn in the economy. International workers and their visas are directly affected by happenings in the business world. Interest rates, home mortgages, taxes and internet business are just a few immediate story ideas that come to mind.

There are a lot of different areas to explore during this particular down time in the economy. Many questions need to be asked and answered…what type of businesses are being shut down? Who is prospering? For those who are hiring, what are they looking for? What happens when you suddenly find yourself without a job? What are your options? In regards to real estate, people were in the midst of bidding wars only less than a year ago. How is the housing market changing? Can more or less people afford to buy the ‘American Dream’ now?

For businesses on the brink of bankruptcy, what are their options? Is the government offering any incentives, tax breaks? Retirement always hits homes with the public. Are people postponing their retirements? Have people lost a lot of their savings during this fallout in the economy? Will they be able to make it up?

Stanford is an ideal location for this type of beat. The campus is filled with experts that could address many of my proposed topics. Not only the renowned Business School, but also the Hoover Institute, the Economics Department and the Center for Bio Ethics could be called upon to answer questions and offer input. Outside the University, we are situated in the heart of the Silicon Valley where many businesses have succeeded and failed. Our location between two major metropolitan areas, San Jose and San Francisco, adds to the dynamic of this proposed beat. Closer to home, agencies like the Better Business Bureau of Palo Alto, the Chamber of Commerce and local government leaders would be viable sources.

I hope my questions will lead me to good story ideas. The trick will be tying them to public issues. Overall, I believe this is an important area to give attention because no matter how hard people try to distance themselves from the confines of money and material items, the truth is money matters.