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Topic: via email
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted October 30, 2008 12:28 AM
Remember Lee Iacocca, the VP at Ford credited with the birth of the Mustang,
the man who rescued Chrysler, Corporation from their death throws, 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 for 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 is 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 not 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 'KoreanWar', 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. So let's shake off the
crap and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had 'enough.'
Make a 'real contribution' by sending this to everyone you know and
care about......our future is at stake!
--------------------
EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 32362 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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