This is from the opening of Iacocca's recently released book and was received by Snopes in mid-April 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=2 0guys 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 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 edge20in 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
rear ends 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 year s culminating with 9/11.
In my email today.
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!!
