You don't need a tablet or touchscreen to use Win8. A touch mouse will do just fine. Swip your fingers on it in different directions and make the Start screen or any touch-preferred app do what you need it to do. The more apps become touchable the more the touch mouse becomes useful.

Here's the thing: you guys think that everyone has a computer. There are still people without cable... EGADs! When they go buy their first computer, that machine will be the norm for them. So if it has a touchscreen they will expect that everywhere. Those newbies will look at your non-touch monitor and wonder how you manage to get anything done.