Lee Iacocca Says:

This was written by Lee Iacocca back in mid-April of 2007.



Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler
Corporation from its death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new
book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
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' 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! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership,
with crisis being the first.)
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.'
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you
know and care about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our
future is at stake!!