Sep 17, 2008 | 2:10 PM
Category:
Political
'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-poems' 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.
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
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 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 1970's 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.'
believe it or not this comes from Lee Iaccoca, yes the same Lee Iaccoca that brought Chrysler out of demise.
