Remember Lee Iacocca , the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book, and here are some excerpts. Lee Iacocca says:
"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 are, the media is not keeping up with what is effecting us, read the front page of CNN.com...talk about useless info, you'd think a shark attack is a national event.
We've got a g ang 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"
That statement has been made years ago (MANY years ago), and guess what, nothing has changed...you've been in a better place then most to make changes...have not heard anything good come out of you soo far.
Stay the course? You'v e got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bums out!"
I agree, but what is our options? Give me some ideas, you sound like Obama...lots of "neat" ideas with no substance.
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.
It hasn't changed much in the last twenty years, same 'ol belly aches...just new faces complaining about them.
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?
Before that it was Japan, Germany, Korea, Vietnam and every little "hot" zone since. History repeats itself all too often, at the end of each war (and prior to the start of) there is lots of complaining about no direction and the ever famous "we'll never be able to leave, 'cause we've got no exit plan"...and it's true, we're still in Japan, German, Korea, ect. Accepting it has been status quo for years.
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.
Yeah right, whoo-hoo for you...tough talk now, again I ask, where was this desire when you where in a place to make changes?!
The Biggest "C" is Crisis!
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there wit h 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.
Geez, yet another post start of a war comment (from a man who I believe was never in the military) that has been yelled so many times before...I've lost interest, again.
On September 11, 2001 , we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady and 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.
This could be said for EVERY other war we've been blessed with. Seems like your prior big businesses really benifit from war...so, what's new?
We're running the bigges t deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.
That above paragraph is something my father said in the 1980's, oh well...why shouldn't be true today. Let's not forget spending on "Starwars", Chryslers intro of the K-cars, cash payouts by Congress to save you and Chrysler, all the while killing numerous factories and jobs, led my family to go from domestic to Japans best offerings after thirty years of being a loyal Dodge owning family...sad, but true. Schools have sucked for the last thirty years, I know, I'm a product of 1980s public education. The borders have always been bad, hell...I went to school (in the 80s) in California...Mexicans didn't move into CA last year...idiot. I spoke spanish since I was age 10 (in da 80s) because of illegals in my schools.
But when y ou look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Wher e 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 think you get the point.
No, your a broken record of the same arguements made for the last twenty plus years (I'm sure much longer, but I'm sticking to the time frame I can attest too. It's the classic sinking ship story to sell something, get elected or make the general public upset. Nothing changes mind you, because of people like you not doing CRAP when you were in the place to make changes...only after your prime do you speak about the need to change, whats wrong, need more money or loans from the Gov't?!.
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.
I agree to some point, but atleast like Israel, we're now arming our pilots. Which has stopped Israel from ever having a hijacking...so, some good has come under the billions spent. And lets not forget, it has not happened since...not to say it won't, but I'll go with sucess until I'm proven wrong on this topic...maybe I'm just ignorant or hopeful.
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. Now, that's just crazy. Storm s happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.
Easy, don't fix a town/city that is below WATER that happens to be SURROUNDED by WATER. Don't fix a trailer park hit the 20th time by a tornado...use common sense, not depend of the Gov't to think,fix, hold your hand daily.
Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. 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?
Um, geez...that could have been said since the 70s, alot of Presidents have gone thru the white house...nothing has changed. I still have a Rising Sun product in my driveway because for the price, it beats anything a Domestic could make or design in the past thirty years. Oh, and it was build in America...unlike the Mexican assembled domestic craps produced today.
Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the he alth care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our
country and milking the middle class dry.
Um, never-mind.
I have news for the gang in Congress. 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 spi ne for a change? Had enough?
Yes, I have had enough...but you have not since your doing the same as Fox News...ie, talking but not acting and didn't act when you could have.
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 1970s
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 pret ty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."