'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 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
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.'
---------------------------------------
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from
its death throes? He's 82 years old and has a book, 'Where Have
All The Leaders Gone?'.
No, this isnt XMC's ramblings on, this is what Lee Iacocca Says... But I do agree with him..
