Posted on 12/20/2008 12:25:20 PM PST by Publius
Comment from Jim Sinclair:
Every word is truth. Where is the outrage?
Remember Lee Iacocca, the VP at Ford credited with the birth of the Mustang, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from their death throes, and the owner of the famous quote "Lead, follow, or get out of the way"? Well, he’s back! He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.
Lee Iacocca writes:
Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course."
Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I’ll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out!
You might think I’m getting senile, that I’ve gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we’re fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That’s not the promise of the "America" my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I’ve had enough. How about you?
I’ll go a step further. You can’t call yourself a patriot if you’re not outraged. This is a fight I’m ready and willing to have.
The Biggest "C" is Crisis!
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It’s easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else’s kids off to war when you’ve never seen a battlefield yourself. It’s another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down. George Bush, Dick Cheney and who is this bozo coming up next? One of the most liberal idiots in the US Senate, and he is talking about disarming America. I can’t believe the American people aren’t seeing what he is about to do to this country. May God have mercy on us all.
On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. A hell of a mess. So here’s where we stand. We’re immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We’re running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We’re losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are all moving offshore. We’re getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are the worst in the world. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership and we are getting ready to put the most liberal senator in the US Senate in as our next president because we want to be fair and elect someone just because of his race? We don’t have time to be fair, we need a strong leader.
But when you look around, you’ve got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I hope you get the point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We’ve spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.
Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone’s hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn’t happen again. Well guess what, people? We are having more floods right now. What are we doing to help these people out? Now, that’s just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you’re going to do the next time. Why are we allowing people to build in flood plains anyway? If you build in a flood area, expect to be flooded and deal with it. Don’t expect the Government to bail you out.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. All they seem to be thinking nowadays is getting themselves bigger salaries and bonuses. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it? Likely nothing!
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry. I have news for the gang in Congress and the Senate. We didn’t elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don’t you guys show some spine for a change? I honestly don’t think any of you have one!
Had Enough?
Hey, I’m not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I’m trying to light a fire. I’m speaking out because I have hope; I believe in America. In my lifetime I’ve had the privilege of living through some of America’s greatest moments. I’ve also experienced some of our worst crises: the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy Assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970's oil crisis and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s this:
You don’t get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it’s building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That’s the challenge I’m raising in this book. It’s a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It’s not too late, but it’s getting pretty close. So let’s shake off the crap and go to work. Let’s tell ‘em all we’ve had enough.
I like the spirit, but not the implication that better (more) government is the solution.
Easy. G.W. Bush. He took the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Iraq. His political opponents would rather have treated terrorism as just another law enforcement issue. The choice was between slapping mosquitoes, and draining the swamp — Bush chose to drain the swamp.
With a Gov't bailout...
Jerk.
Hey Lee, this 2008. You are not the big shot anymore, and when you were it was not the world it is now. but, hey , you are the expert.
And haven’t heard from you when the auto industry kept going with the UAW..or when the subprimes came on and banks were threatened by Acorn...or maybe YOU have a better plan for the mideast?
You ran a car company. Big whoop. You got lucky during a crisis when the feds bailed your butt out in a time that was NOTHING like it is now.
Glory days, you’re singing Glory Days, Lee.
STFU!
ping for later
Is Lee I. drunk? Gas prices skyrocketing? A bloody war? What is he on about?
Well said by you both.
Hey Lee, STFU! You made your millions and got on magazine covers. Big whoop.
Ahh... those were the days of rainbows, sunshine and K cars...
Now we have the clowns' clowns taking over. This should be hilarious.
This is just one of the things he gets wrong in this piece. There are some things that are correct, but too much that he just gets wrong.
He's right about Obozo though.
ha. ...yeah, i had a beautiful red mustang and wasn’t worried about anything. ha,
Warnings by Pres. Bush did not get their attention, but they blamed him for not helping faster. Have you heard anyone mention Galveston Island since Ike? The reason you have not is because people are working to solve their problems - the old fashioned way - they work.
Lee Iacocca, the former chairman of Chrysler, that went begging to the govt for a bailout, is now suddenly outraged?
Gimmie a break!
I’m pretty sure it was DeLorean and not Ioccoca who was responsible for the Mustang.
It sure was!
With a Gov't bailout...
Paid back (early IIRC) with interest.
If I'm not mistaken, that's the motto of the Third Marine Division and has been since around World War II.
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