Lee Iacocca says;

[DARISC]

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! 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 debt, 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 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.'

Excerpted from 'Where Have All the Leaders Gone?'. Copyright (c) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reservedLee

[IROC]

Hmmm...sounds like Jesse Ventura.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

I wonder what his stance is on government bailouts.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I wonder what his stance is on government bailouts.

LMAO

thanks, there is beer all over my monitor now...

[Z-man]

Actually, it is Lee Iaccoca, from the opening of his book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone? which was published last year.

Snopes link

-Z

[MRM]

Old post. There's a thread on this one already. I suggest that old Lee looks at himslef in the mirror for the reason America lost its competetive edge and many of the other ills he rails against.

[tchanson]

Lee Iacocca also said I should buy his motorized bicycles, olive oil, and cars like these:




Your tax bailout dollars at work.








Tim

[Tobra]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

I wonder what his stance is on government bailouts.

first thing popped in my head when I read this

this is pretty old isn't it?

[Superman]

Ah. Now I get it. I had wondered why so many of you guys seem to hate this man. He dares to think for himself and point out that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes. He's......a Liberal. Now it makes more sense.

You know why it didn't make sense before? Two reasons. One is because he was a corporate Fat Cat. The kind you guys idolize. And the other reason is because he was approximately 110% successful. You guys seem to have difficulty recognizing leadership. Mr. Iacocca did his job. His job was not to save government money. His job was to save Chrysler. He got the frickin' job done. And the gubmit bailout was a loan. A loan that was repaid WAY before the note was due.

It's no wonder we don't have leaders in Washington DC. You guys wouldn't know one if you saw one. And apparently, you guys wouldn't know an idiot......even if he was President of the United States of America.

[MRM]

"Let 'em Burn" Lee is a leader? I guess. Not the kind I want, though.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by tchanson

Lee Iacocca also said I should buy his motorized bicycles, olive oil, and cars like these:




Your tax bailout dollars at work.
Tim

That is one beautiful motorcar! If I recall, it's flanks were painstakingly crafted by Old World craftsmen using two species of rare South American hardwood - really a very special conveyance, that! I also seem to recall that those are genuine imitation wahr wheels.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by Superman

Ah. Now I get it. I had wondered why so many of you guys seem to hate this man. He dares to think for himself and point out that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes. He's......a Liberal. Now it makes more sense.

You know why it didn't make sense before? Two reasons. One is because he was a corporate Fat Cat. The kind you guys idolize. And the other reason is because he was approximately 110% successful. You guys seem to have difficulty recognizing leadership. Mr. Iacocca did his job. His job was not to save government money. His job was to save Chrysler. He got the frickin' job done. And the gubmit bailout was a loan. A loan that was repaid WAY before the note was due.

It's no wonder we don't have leaders in Washington DC. You guys wouldn't know one if you saw one. And apparently, you guys wouldn't know an idiot......even if he was President of the United States of America.

HAHAHAHA! Great post Mr. Superman!!

[911pcars]

Originally Posted by DARISC

That is one beautiful motorcar! If I recall, it's flanks were painstakingly crafted by Old World craftsmen using two species of rare South American hardwood - really a very special conveyance, that! I also seem to recall that those are genuine imitation wahr wheels.

As I recall, Chrysler sold them and customers bought them. That quid pro quo arrangement apparently got Chrysler out of the hole. If you criticize the product, then what about the people who bought them? You, your neighbors, your relatives.

I agree with Superman and Darisc. As a CEO, LI did his job w/o the flotsum and jetsum other CEOs left behind for others to deal with. Charles Keating (Lincoln S&L), Kenneth Lay (Enron), Henry Nicholas (Broadcom) and inumerable others; can you or your supporters respond? Here's a sampler:

http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/RDavies/arian/scandals/classic.html

Sherwood

[DanielDudley]

I See Dead Leadership.

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

Soft Corinthian Leather

[sammyg2]

Is that government that he is bashing the same one that bailed out chrysler after he drove it into the ground? he is a hypocrite with no room to talk and I suspect he's shooting his mouth off in an attempt at personal gain. The people running this country are doing a better job than he ever did running his company.
While he was head of chrysler they produced more junk than any other car maker except maybe renault.

[Buckterrier]

The K car did help bailout Chrysler, manufactured at the Jefferson Assembly plant in Detriot. That car was more headaches for me than any other. You'd have thought they were making P-Cars with the pressure they put on suppliers.
And remember boys. LI did bring us the Ford Mustang

[911pcars]

"Is that government that he is bashing the same one that bailed out chrysler after he drove it into the ground?"

No. Not the same government. He's bashing the current regime whom he supported in 2000. The bailout happened in 1979 under Carter. His legacy with Chrysler is typically corporate following the bail out as it provided the company with wage/benefit concessions from the UAW and closed many plants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Iacocca
http://www.scripophily.net/chcoca19.html

Sherwood

[strupgolf]

Originally Posted by DARISC

That is one beautiful motorcar! If I recall, it's flanks were painstakingly crafted by Old World craftsmen using two species of rare South American hardwood - really a very special conveyance, that! I also seem to recall that those are genuine imitation wahr wheels.

You might not know this, buy Chrysler paid back every dime that the US govt. loaned them, kept 1000's of people employed, and is still in business today. What Lee said then is exactly what should be said today. I'm pissed off with whats happening today just as every person should be. We are on a path of destruction that will go on and if we dont realiaze it soon, then we might get used to living in a 3rd world country.

[DARISC]

Originally Posted by strupgolf

You might not know this, buy Chrysler paid back every dime that the US govt. loaned them, kept 1000's of people employed, and is still in business today. What Lee said then is exactly what should be said today. I'm pissed off with whats happening today just as every person should be. We are on a path of destruction that will go on and if we dont realiaze it soon, then we might get used to living in a 3rd world country.

Oh I know! I posted it to be amused by some of the responses . I'm on board with Superman. It was not a bail-out (read up on it fellas), it was a LOAN and as Superman noted, the loan was paid back with interest BEFORE it was due. He brought Chrysler back into profitability and as you said, kept 1000's of people employed.

Yeah, the crotchety old fart is a real pr!ck .