Per Snopes. this is true. The following is excerpted from theoriginal editorial made by Iacocca and is from his book which was released in 2007. See the following site for more info:http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/iacocca.asp
The two party system????
Remember Lee Iacocca, the VP at Ford credited with the birth of theMustang, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from their deaththroes, and the owner of the famous quote 'Lead, follow, or get out ofthe way'? Well, he's back! He has a new book, and here are someexcerpts.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 rightover a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and wecan't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their headswhen the politicians say, 'Stay the course'Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not thedamned '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, andmaybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize thiscountry anymore.The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guysin handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East isburning 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 ofthe ' 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' renot 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 abattlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comestumbling down. George Bush, Dick Chaney and who it this Bozo coming upnext? 'Barak O'Bama' One of the most Liberal Idiots in the U. S.Senate and he is talking about disarming America . I can't believe theAmerican people are seeing what he is about to do to this country. MayGod have mercy on us all.On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any othertime in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of theashes. A Hell of a Mess. So here's where we stand. We're immersed in abloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We'rerunning the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We'relosing the manufacturing edge to Asia , while our once-great Companiesare all moving offshore. We're getting slaughtered by health carecosts. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherentenergy policy. Our schools are the worst in the world. Our borders arelike sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. Theseare times that cry out for leadership and we are getting ready to put'Barak O'Bama' the most Liberal Senator in the U. S. Senate in as ournext President because we want to be fair and elect someone justbecause of his race. We don't have time to be fair, we need a strongleader.But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all theleaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Whereare the people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, andcommon sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I hope you getthe point.Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security thanmaking us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, andall 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 thehurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that weremade in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down,fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Well guess whatpeople? We are having more floods right now. What are we doing to helpthese 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 arewe allowing people to build in flood plains anyway? If you build in aflood area, expect to be flooded and deal with it. Don't expect theGovernment to bail you out.Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we canrestore our competitive edge in manufacturing. All they seem to bethinking now-days is getting themselves bigger salaries and bonuses.Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The BigThree' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, andmore important, what are we going to do about it? likely nothing!Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying downthe debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health careproblem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that areeating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.I have news for the gang in Congress and the Senate. We didn't electyou to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while ourdemocracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced withmediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on FoxNews will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys showsome 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 tryingto light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope; I believe inAmerica .... In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living throughsome of America 's greatest moments I've also experienced some of ourworst crises: the 'Great Depression', 'World War II', the 'KoreanWar', the 'Kennedy Assassination', the 'Vietnam War', the 1970s oilcrisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. IfI've learned one thing, it's this: 'You don't get anywhere by standingon the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whetherit's building a better car or building a better future for ourchildren, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raisingin this book. It's a call to 'Action' for people who, like me, believein America . It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. Solet'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 andcare about......our future is at stake!
