A Hell of a Mess: Observations by Lee Iacocca

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, competence, 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 c lass 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 bobble head 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 horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.
Excerpted from "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?"

Blast from the Past

I managed to send out a bunch of Christmas cards with a long update letter this year to my family and friends some of which I have been out of touch with for an extended period of time. I included some pictures I had taken when we had them done for the church directory in as many of them as I could. I ended up hearing from two of my friends that I have not talked to in quite some time. We are on email and messenger now so we are in regular contact. I am really excited! Anyway, things have changed a lot in our lives, but it is like nothing has changed in many ways. There is nothing like an old friend.

The People have spoken

Well, the first Caucus was in Iowa yesterday and the voting public has spoken. I can't say I was too surprised, but it is going to be an interesting 2008. I may have to get really interested in foreign film, set a new record for how many books I have read in a year or take up guitar playing. I am not sure I have the patience to tolerate the political cloud that is settling over America for the next 11 months. In such a crucial election year, I do want to know my candidates and the issues, but I don't want to eat, sleep and breathe every move each of them make just so one of them can get an edge over the other (compliments of our media.) I feel myself using my NetFlix account a lot in the next 11 months. . .