Thread: Lee Iacocca (Where the hell is our outrage)

SOME STRONG LANGUAGE, BUT STILL SO VERY TRUE. VERY TYPICAL OF MR. IACOCCA. True according to Snopes.com

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.

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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'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' i nstead 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.

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 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, omnipotence, 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 debit, 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 as_ _ _ 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?

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."

Excerpted from "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?".
Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

No link I received this as an e-mail

Ok Mr. Iacocca - we Americans see that YOU have a spine - looks like YOU have what it takes - You're right. Most of us are looking for the kind of person you describe but don't know where/who he is or how to get him to come out and lead. How about you? Will YOU stand for the American people and what is right and good for our country, and stop the madness? We can only pray to God that an honest, America-first individual will come forward - and now! We have no more time to waste. Our country is disintegrating.

Quote(Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing.Quote

I must admit I agree with everything he stated I do not understand why people aren't outraged at our policies and direction, I'm truly surprised at young folks I talk with late 20's early 30's who tell me this is just the way it is and we can't go back to my era, 40's, 50's, heck I don't want to go back I just want to see another generation of young folks have the same opportunities I had but in all honesty unless we see change soon America will not exist in its present form.

I was just eMailed this and was goingto post it-but did a search and found it here. So thought I'd BUMP it instead. Bears repeating for those that have missed it.

Thanks "sickntired" this is a great piece and well worth the read

AND THERE COMES AGAIN WHERE STUCKED WITH 2 TRAITORS,
MCSHAME AND HUSSEIN (oBAMA)
WHO ARE VOTING THEM ?
THE CHEM TRAILS ARE WORKING .......

Yeah, it's like you read a piece like this and think "my God, what has a happened to our country??" Everyone and I mean everyone is totally fed up with what America has become.

Great article!

We know this whole pony show is just that.

How do you fill up stadiums and gyms full of thousands of people one after another on a weekday? I've got to think these are the same political operatives going round and round, especially since they won't let just anyone in, they have to be rigged.

These Traitors of today aren't listening to the American people. You ever notice how the MSM talks about a politicians platform. Well a real politicians doesn't need a platform because they listen to the American people, WE SET THE AGENDA, NOT THEM!

I'm glad to see at least one very big businessman has pride and hasn't sold out America, this gives me hope that maybe there are more out there. America can compete with any car builder, any furniture maker, and clothes maker if we are given the chance. the problem is, the corporate clowns write the big political contributions during the political race and then the Million dollar checks by hiring the ex politicians as consultants so they can pay them off for their political favors once they're out of office. We have to end these money ties or it will never stop. Maybe these politicians should take some advice that they give our young folks. Serve the community by doing community service, it'll pay off later. What do they mean by that?