Why the CEO is the Most Influential Person in America

President Bush is the most obvious, since what he says and does affects everyone in America. His policy on the war on terror is having a direct effect on many American families. Hopefully, America will benefit in future decades from what he's doing now.

Bill Gates and Steven Jobs are two other obvious choices. The Microsoft and Apple moguls changed the way people communicate, and they still affect us each day. If you're using a Windows or Macintosh operating system ... well, let's just stop there. We're talking about a lot of people, whether or not you are listening to an iPod.

Oprah Winfrey is another person whose influence grows each year. A guest spot on her show is arguably more valuable than an appearance on the Tonight Show or Late Show. That's because Oprah's viewers (and the readers of her magazines) seem more willing than any other audience to buy what is on the TV show.

Those people are influential every year, but three people whose influence exploded in 2006 are Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. Who? Those are the guys who started YouTube. Whether you watch it or not, YouTube has popularized the concept of using your computer as a little TV. Now, networks put full-length TV shows on the Web one day after broadcast. Their reasoning is that people are watching something online and it may as well be one of their shows.

You could also look at Barbara Walters' recent list of the Top Ten most fascinating people of the year. The list is meant to denote "the people who inspired, influenced, entertained and amused America this year."

The list consists of Patrick Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy; retired tennis star Andre Agassi, Hollywood couple Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie, pastor Joel Osteen, rapper Jay-Z, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin and his wife Kelly; Vogue editor Anna Wintour, Borat comedian Sasha Baron Cohen, JonBenet Ramsey's father, John Ramsey; and the winner, Nancy Pelosi.

Pelosi would have been a great choice for next year, when she becomes Speaker of the House and will have a lot of influence. Of course, ABC couldn't wait to jump the gun. Remember this is the network that brought you Commander-in-Chief with President Geena Davis.

Of the others, the most influential would have to be Osteen, Jay-Z and (don't laugh) Pitt and Jolie. Osteen has a large audience and a different take on Christianity. Jay-Z produced many influential hip-hop artists, including himself. Pitt and Jolie have raised the profile of international adoption, whether they meant to or not.

But I'm going to go totally off-book and say the winner of the most influential person of 2006 is the CEO of your local big business. My region, Northeast Ohio, has been hit hard by the closing of several businesses. Many people at the Reiter milk plant in Barberton learned their jobs would disappear three weeks before Christmas. If that doesn't cut your shopping trip short, nothing will.

Sometimes the CEO isn't even in your town. My wife lost her job when the bank she worked at was gobbled up by an even larger bank - all because some CEO has to prove that he has the biggest, um, bank. Is it really that important? Now the two of us are working at home - nearly around the clock - to keep our daughter from dressing like Oliver Twist.

Are celebrities and politicians influential? Not compared to the CEO.