If you could have more of any one thing (except for money), what would it be? My guess is that most of you would choose time. Time to think. Time to plan. Time to execute those plans. Time to simply enjoy life.

Without a doubt, time has been a major victim of the digital revolution.

With the advent of computers, our lives and jobs have not necessarily been made easier. True, we have greater access to information on which to base our decisions. We even have software designed to help us process that information and make decisions for us, especially for those routine actions that we repeat over and over again.

It's those "once in a blue moon" decisions - the kind we face once or twice during our business careers - that cause us the greatest problems. Finding the best site for your next manufacturing or distribution facility definitely falls into that category. Those are the kind of decisions we need to process the old fashioned way … and that takes time.

That's why we devote such enormous resources to our annual Ratings issue.

This year's issue includes studies that look at work force quality, business climate, labor costs and quality of life.

Education Quotient. What better way to compare the type of work force your company is likely to encounter in given communities across the country than by looking at their high schools, and the types of workers they are turning out? This is our 10th year of producing the EQ, which this year evaluates 2,234 school districts nationwide.

Legislative Quotient. Politicians love to take credit for the good things, and a good economy is no exception. The LQ takes a look at each of the 50 states and how their legislatures raise their revenue (i.e,. who carries the tax load), how they spend it (particularly when it comes to infrastructure), and whether or not they're racking up debt that you, as a future corporate resident of that state, will have to pay off.

Employment Cost Index. What better way to compare the personnel costs of establishing a manufacturing facility in the various states than by establishing a notional 150-person manufacturing facility in a couple of key SICs and comparing the employment costs in each of the states? This year we chose Industrial Machinery and Computer Equipment (SIC 35), and Medical and Optical Measuring Equipment (SIC 38) as our two industries.

Quality of Life Quotient. If you're a Trust Fund Baby or an Elizabethan Literature Scholar, then perhaps our list isn't for you. However, if your idea of a great place to live and work is based upon a reasonable cost of living, affordable housing, low crime, excellent transportation access (including air), good public schools, community colleges and universities, an educated work force, low taxes, and other concerns you as a potential employer might have, then take a look at our QLQ. We compared all 329 MSAs according to nearly 30 criteria and came up with a ranking that most people can identify with.

Bill King is the editor of Expansion Management Magazine and can be reached at BillKing@penton.com.