Controversial author writes new book
>>> brian williams joins me now from new york with a preview of what will be a great interview tonight on nbc's "rock center," brian, we have come to know charles murray through the book "the bell curve " and his new book arguing a different genetic programming that could explain academic performance.
>> i want to say at the outset, that we sat down with him yesterday in new york, last time i interviewed charles murray , he was coauthor of the bell curve , it stamped his life. one of his ideas was that iq was created by a lot of things and environment is one and he went there on the subject of race. and he paid a heavy price for it. this book essentially says, we are coming apart. it's saying that our society is degrading and we are splitting apart and when he gives an example -- well, i'll let you see one of the examples he uses between the classes in america.
>> it's not particularly important if a truck driver understands the priorities of the law professor . you know? a truck driver has no influence over the law professor 's law, it's a big problem if a law professor or a anchor at a tv show or a government official does not understand the priorities of the truck driver . they have to know what the truck drivers pay in taxes and that methamphetamine has been an issue in that community. he has to know that gas prices can crush the industry and know that highway laws and vehicle weight standards and all of that, so there are interesting points in here, andrea and he talks about how the elite class often embodies more of the so-called american values than the working class , marriage rates and attending church, it does make you think and i'm not here to defend the arguments or knock them down, it's a conversation worth watching tonight.
>> it's another way of getting at this crushing problem of income inequality , growing income inequality which people believe is under mining democracy. just a word about the campaign, brian, you and i have watched them for a long time. here we are with all the economic problems and i was quite taken aback that we are talking about religion.
>> as you know, i'll brag on you on your own broadcast, the reasons that your viewers see you once in this time slot and so many nights again for nbc nightly news is that i'm want to call on you for the fact that you and i have both been in this a while and sfiometimes perspective is good, last night was one of those times. here we are again, talking about religion and then it was dow at 13,000 and more on the economy. the voters have a funny way of deciding what is ultimately important to them at the polls.
>> and it could be this year, gas prices , we have to wait and see, that is another trending issue. thank
