Pioneer Living Survival

Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from itsdeath throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have AllThe 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 with this so called president? We shouldbe screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of tax cheating cluelessleftists trying to steer our ship of state right over a cliff, we'vegot corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even run aridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of thetaxpayers' money, much less build a hybrid car. But instead of gettingmad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicianssay, 'trust me the economy is getting better..'

Better? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned,'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the Democrats outalong with Obama!'

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 guys inhandcuffs.. While we're fiddling in Afghanistan, Iran is completingtheir nuclear bombs and missiles and nobody seems to know what to do.And the liberal press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hardquestions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents andyours 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 notoutraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, withcrisis being the first.)

Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis.It's easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and talk theory. Or sendsomeone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefieldyourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumblingdown.

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 a bloody war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying daily.

We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and it's getting worse every day!

We've lost the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.

Gas prices are going to skyrocket again, and nobody in power has alucid plan to open drilling to solve the problem. This country has thelargest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for it becausethe politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists.

Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union.

Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and free healthcare.

The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.

These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all theleaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where arethe people of character, courage, conviction, omnipotence, and commonsense? 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 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.

Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government willmake it better for them. Now, that's just crazy.. Deal with life.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we canrestore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believedthat there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred toJapanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, lookwhat Obama did about it!

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying downthe debit, 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 Chicago gangsters in Congress. We didn't elect youto turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What iseverybody so afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will callthem a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for achange?

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 - Ibelieve in America . In my lifetime, I've had the privilege of livingthrough some of America 's greatest moments. I've also experienced someof our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since 9/11.