Sunday, October 5, 2008

Lee Iococca's Call to Arms

I agree with most of what he said.  I certainly agree with his outrage at the lack of leadership.  I certainly hear his call for change, but what is his plan?  Perhaps, since this is just part of his book, the solution is in the book.  May be worth checking it out.
I received this in an email.
"Throw all Represenatives out this Fall. Get some American Balls."   If you read this and are offended by it, call someone else;be mad or just get over it.Iacocca is right on.So is the NRA..Remember "rights to arms"..was in case you needed to overturn a corrupt government.The men who signed the constitution saw it coming.Pardons to the ladies who don't have balls-I know you have the right attitude!
 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 all 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 Chaney
and who it this Bozo
          coming up next?  One of the most Liberal Idiots
in the U. S. Senate and he is talking about disarming
America.  I can't believe the American people are 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 U. S. 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 now-days 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 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 crap and
go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had
'enough.'

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I hope this blogs generates discussion about the important topics of our time. Reasoned disagreement is encouraged. Clarity is important