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Am I the Only Guy in this Country who's fed up? excerpts from Lee Iacocca's book
Mar 11, 2008
Focus: Government
Action Request: Think About
Location: United States
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler
> Corporation from it's death throes? He has a new book, and here are some
> excerpts.
> _____________________________________________________________
> 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 'om! -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 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 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.' Make a 'real contribution' by sending this to everyone you
> know and care about......our future is at stake!



 
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Posted: Mar 11, 2008 6:36pm

 
 
 
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Terri S.
female, age 59, single, 2 children
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