It's Not the Economy...

Would you rather be alive and struggling, or dead and rich?

I think most people would opt for being alive.

I'm not saying the economy isn't important. I'm just saying living and breathing is more important. So for my money, it's not the economy, stupid. It's living, stupid.

I know this sounds crazy for a business journalist, no less. But business doesn't matter right now. Breathing does.

In an age of heightened terror alerts and threats of war, suddenly surviving takes on a greater urgency than investing. I can understand that. After all, what good is a lot of cash if you're in a casket?

It's why analysts don't move markets, but Colin Powell does.

It's why people don't care about "the big board," but they do care about the big threats.

And it's why we don't focus so much on return on equity, as much as Rumseld on war.

I'm not saying making money doesn't matter. I'm just saying making our world safe matters more.

Keep in mind, our economy and markets didn't pick up steam in World War II until it looked like we were winning World War II. And Americans didn't spend ahead of the last Persian Gulf crisis until it looked like we were over that crisis.

Much of what ails Wall Street is anxiety over what could happen next on Main Street. When people are scared, they don't spend as much. And when they're anxious, they don't invest as much.

That's why I'm amused when people say we're too focused on terror and war and not enough on jobs and stocks as if they're two different things. They're not.

There is much wrong with our economy. But there is much more wrong with our world.

I could be crazy, but here's what I say: Make the world safer and you'll make the economy better.

An economist didn't tell me that. Common sense did.

Watch Neil Cavuto's Common Sense weekdays at 4 p.m. ET on Your World w/Cavuto.