Excerpts From Lee Iacocca's New Book

[gatortom64 1]

Here are some excerpts from Lee Iacocca's new book, "Where have allthe leaders gone".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 rightover a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and wecan't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their headswhen the politicians say, "Stay the course".Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not thedamned "Titanic". I'll give you a sound bite: "Throw all the bumsout!"You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, andmaybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize thiscountry anymore.The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guysin handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burningand nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise ofthe "America" my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I'vehad enough. How about you?I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you'renot 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 abattlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comestumbling down.On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any othertime in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of theashes. A Hell of a Mess.So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no planfor winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficitin the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge toAsia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by healthcare costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has acoherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders arelike sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. Theseare times that cry out for leadership.But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all theleaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Whereare the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, andcommon sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you getthe point.Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security thanmaking us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, andall 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 thehurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that weremade in the crucial hours after the storm.Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happenagain. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make aplan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we canrestore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believedthat there could ever be a time when "The Big Three" referred toJapanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, whatare we going to do about it?Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying downthe debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health careproblem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that areeating 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 onyour asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy isbeing hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.What is everybody so afraid of? That somebody on Fox News will callthem a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for achange? Had Enough?Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'mtrying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. Ibelieve in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of livingthrough some of America's greatest moments. I've also experiencedsome of our worst crises: the "Great Depression", "World War II", the"Korean War", the "Kennedy Assassination", the "Vietnam War", the1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this:"You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting forsomebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car orbuilding 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, butit's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the crap and go to work.Let's tell 'em all we've had "enough."

[jeff_536 3]

Okay...someone needs a timeout from the 'new topic' button...

[JoeyJoJo 20]

I feel like if anybody would know that there was already a topic on this, it would be you.("You" being Tom.)

[hblask 1]

nvm

[gatortom64 1]

Sorry, power surge in the middle of posting. Didn't see it went thru. Lock it up!!!!