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["Jeanne Driese" <jeanne13 AT earthlink.net>]

This  is supposed to be excerpts from "Where Have All The Leaders Gone?", by 
Lee Iacocca
Has anyone read the book?
Any comments?
Jeanne
tnhillwoman



      Remember Lee Iacocca, the VP at Ford credited with the birth of the 
Mustang, the man who rescued Chrysler,  Corporation from their death throes, 
and the owner of the famous quote 'Lead, follow, or get out of the way'? 
Well, he's back!  He has a new book, and here are some excerpts.
       
      Lee Iacocca writes:
       
      '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.  George 
Bush, Dick Chaney and who is this Bozo coming up next?  One of the most 
Liberal Idiots in the U. S. Senate and he is talking about disarming America. 
 I can't believe the American people are seeing what he is about to do to 
this country.  May God have mercy on us all.
       
      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 all moving offshore.  We're getting 
slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in 
power has a coherent energy policy.  Our schools are the worst in the world. 
Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is  being squeezed every which 
way! These are times that cry out for leadership and we are getting ready to 
put the most Liberal Senator in the U. S. Senate in as our next President 
because we want to be fair and elect someone just because of his race.  We 
don't have time to be fair, we need a strong leader.
       
      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 hope 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 accounta bility 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. Well guess what people?  We are 
having more floods right now.  What are we doing to help these people out.  
Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out 
what you're going to do the next time.  Why are we allowing people to build 
in flood plains anyway?  If you build in a flood area, expect to be flooded 
and deal with it.  Don't expect the Government to bail you out.
       
      Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can 
restore our competitive edge in manufacturing.  All they seem to be thinking 
now-days is getting themselves bigger salaries and bonuses. 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?  likely nothing!
       
      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=2 0eating away at 
our country and milking the middle class dry.
       
      I have news for the gang in Congress and the Senate. 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?  I 
honestly don't think any of you have one!
       
      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!'  


 
 


            
     


tnhillwoman
North East TN zone 6
>From lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com  Tue Oct 28 08:29:31 2008
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bob ford wrote:

> *Income taxes will rise on middle- and upper-income people and businesses, 
> and individuals will pay much higher Social Security taxes, all to carry 
> out the new president's goals of "spreading the wealth around."

Why do people keep repeating this? Every independent fact-checker agrees 
that Obama's plan would reduce taxes for individuals making under 
$200,000 ($250,000 for families). Unless they use McCain's definition of 
'middle class' being $5 million. I'm still not voting for Obama, and I 
don't make enough to pay taxes, so I don't personally care. But I annoys 
me that McCain and his cohorts think that repeating a lie often enough 
will make it true.

Lynn Wigglesworth


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