November 19, 2007

Iacocca's Take On Things

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 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. 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, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think 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.

Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

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?

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. 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 bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

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 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 pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.
xxx
Excerpted from Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
(Copyright) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

5 comments:

jmsjoin said...

two crows
Sure storms and disasters happen but only Bush can turn them into catastrophes. I did a post way back looking for leaders as we have none. Look at the mess you listed and it is a lot worse than that and the idiot is proud of the job he has done. What does that tell you?

LET'S TALK said...

Lee Iacocca really said a mouth full, I've got to get that book.

Now saying that, I now repeat, when are will we put a stop to this insane take over of our country?

I will say this, if Hillary is elected and most people stay home in the Democratic party or cast their vote on a third party candidate. Then we will get what we deserve as this country and the dollar falls to nothing.

We have borrowed so much from China and Japan, the dollar is down to 60 cents compare to the Euro and $1.23 compared to the yen.

What's next, when this country falls.... who can we blame besides ourselves.

Mary Ellen said...

Sure storms and disasters happen but only Bush can turn them into catastrophes.

Well said!

Like you, Let's Talk, I fear that if Hillary is nominated, we will lose many of our progressives who will refuse to vote for her and lead us into another four years of Republican rule that will surely destroy what's left of our country.

I had heard that many countries are refusing to take the American dollar as payment, that says a lot. It's going to be worthless since it can't be trusted any more than Bush can be trusted to run our country.

Anonymous said...

How can we persuade Lee Iacocca to run for president?

two crows said...

hi, AAP--
what it tells me is just how clueless he is.

hi, LT--
I'm so lost I don't know where I'm lost FROM--
I don't want to vote Clinton OR Obama since they couldn't be bothered to vote against torture.
I'm concerned that Edwards still needs seasoning.
Kucinich looks interesting but I fear he's too far back in the pack to matter and I hate to waste my vote. rrrrrggghhhhh!!!
I'm tempted to change my affiliation so I can vote republican and vote for the one I judge to be the least likely to win the general election.
kinda like joining the NRA so I can vote for gun control.

what a way to run a democratic republic.
move over Romans, we're coming to join you.

hey, ME--
ohmigod, I hope people aren't so naive as to stay home rather than vote for whomever the dems put forward.
do they WANT 4 more years of republican fiascoes?

hey, Tom--
now THERE'S a good thought!
he certainly seems to have some good ideas as to what we should be doing to pull ourselves out of the mess we're in .