What you do say and believe matters in Congress

bob_2 · 09-07-09 2:46 am

Lawmakers seek survival in unpopular Congress <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090906/pl_nm/us_usa_congress_preview" target=_top>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090906/pl_nm/us_usa_c ongress_preview</a> Wondered when the blosback would start.

john8verse32 · 09-14-09 1:20 pm

here's what Lee Iococca says.....and while this diatribe may have been started in response to Bush failures, it continues to be a response to our current government leaders. (I believe Lee, 'cause I enjoy his Olivio and drive one of his cars!!) <img src="http://www.atomorrow.net/discus/messages/14/1854.jpg" alt=""> 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 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 isAmerica , not the da.ned, '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 , theMiddle 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 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. <img src="http://www.atomorrow.net/discus/messages/14/1855.jpg" alt=""> 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 thepoint. 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 forthe 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 debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem with out a TELEPROMPTER. <img src="http://www.atomorrow.net/discus/messages/14/1856.jpg" alt=""> 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 (donkeys) 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 CNN 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 years culminating with9/11. 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 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!! PS...my summ er fun car is powered by a cast iron, Mitsui 2.5 liter engine, which run forever.... do NOT buy any Cry-sler or Mercedes product with the 2.7 liter aluminium block engine...with some real engineering blunders affecting it... these came about after 2000 when MB bought Cry-sler and drove it into the financial ground... MB honors the warranty up to 100k miles, they used to honor the crysler up to 70, but as many as a third of them break down before that. and they all will after that!! if you have one, and can't sell it before it breaks down, use synthetic oil..like Mobil 1 ...its twice as expensive, but you can change it half as often, and it will not "cook" into carmel and plug up the engine.

elaine · 09-14-09 5:56 pm

Here's a letter in the latest Time regarding the "Cash for Clunkers" program: "I find it interesting that the top five vehicles traded in under the "cash-for-clunkers" program were from U.S. carmakers, and four of the top five fuel-efficient vehicles purchased in return were from Japanese companies. It doesn't do much to help GM and Chrysler, but perhaps it tells us something about how U.S. car manufacturers got themselves in this mess to begin with."

elaine · 09-14-09 6:03 pm

You didn't give the date Iococca wrote that, and I presume it was during the Bush presidency. Here's one in the Muddle Eastern Wars: "Our invovlement in Iraq and Afghanistan is comparable to placing one's hand in a pail of water. When you stick your hand into the water, you create an effect. When you pull it out, the water returns to its original state. "While we occupy those countries, we suffer casualties and financial disaster. Once we leave, everything will return to the way it was before: tribal wars, Muslim traditions and culture. We will have accomplished nothing. You cannot change thousand-year-old cultures into democratic states in a few years. It takes decades, even centuries for cultures to evolve in advanced political systems." Nothing truer can be said about these horrible, muddled wars!

Adventists for Tomorrow

Announcement

#1 09-07-09 2:46 am

What you do say and believe matters in Congress

#2 09-14-09 1:20 pm

Re: What you do say and believe matters in Congress

#3 09-14-09 5:56 pm

Re: What you do say and believe matters in Congress

#4 09-14-09 6:03 pm

Re: What you do say and believe matters in Congress

Board footer