Riding Herd on the Financial Range - # 12
America faces a crisis of leadership and it isn't just about the One in office
6.24.2009
Howdy Folks,
Originally I planned to write tonight about cap and trade again, but I think we need to think about the crisis of leadership we face. Especially as the House seems hell bent on taxing us on everything from breathing, well actually exhaling, to farming and electricity. Suffice it to say every man, woman and child will suffer from the nonsense being perpetrated on America. It will cost jobs and significantly raise taxes and we are talking about taxes on more than just the top 10% of Americans who pay about 80% of all federal taxes! And Ol' Joe believes it would be more patriotic to pay more taxes; that’s buffoonery in light of what Congress does with those taxes. Now that Congress is about to spread the wealth to certain corporations that are in the tank with the administration, I should probably reconsider my moral stand to avoid the stock of corporations run by bums, such as GE and Goldman Sachs, which stand to make billions as they gear up to benefit from “green” largess and the "trading" of carbon credits. But I would have toe to stand in the shower for hours to wash away the sleaze before I felt clean.
I thought tonight I would pass on to our readers the words of one of America’s great business leaders forwarded to me by one of my readers. As the 4th of July approaches, I am hopeful that the streets will be filled with the outrage and anger that I know must be out there, but is currently still hiding in the closet. These are the words of a man that brought you the Mustang car, and later actually borrowed money from the government and paid it back when Chrysler was an American company in private hands. This is a guy that knows how to run a business, and like many of us, is wondering where our leaders are? AND the outrage. He is Lee Iacocca and he wrote a book every real American patriot should read.
Your humble editor joins Lee Iacocca to ask you to do something to take America back. In his own words, Lee 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, (Lee is 82 and Your Humble Editor is 63) 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 Crises! 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 debit, 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 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 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.'
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!! "
I couldn’t have said it better myself. This is a leader by whom everyone in Washington should be measured against!
I ask that you call your representatives in Congress and the White House, or write if you prefer, and tell them what you think about the spending, and the march to socialism that they are taking America down. Plus anything else on your mind. Speak out; this is a republic of the people, by the people, and for the people and just because Congress has forgotten that – YOU SHOULDN’T.
Tell Congress and the president (who is supposedly a constitutional lawyer) to go back and read the Constitution, and quit trampling on it.
Now I feel better.
Your humble editor, Russ
P.S. In his book, Lee Iacocca elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.
Suppose you were an idiot.
And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself.
~ Mark Twain
About Russ Magarity
Jackson, Wyoming Distressed Patriot Russell Magarity and Chris Janelli, Chief Distressed Patriot, have been business associates and close friends since working together at Chase Manhattan Asia in Hong Kong. Russ grew up in Cuba and Panama and graduated from High School in Peru. He received a BA in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma (Norman), an M.B.A. from the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara (Mexico), and a Masters in International Management (with Distinction) from the American Graduate School of International Management (Thunderbird).
Russ spent his career with Chase running countries and managing corporate finance businesses in Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong and throughout SE Asia. Prior to joining Chase, he served in the US Navy for 9 years first as a Midshipman and Naval Aviator. As a carrier pilot, he served 3 tours in Vietnam and flew over 250 missions
|
2.8.2010
When the Census Clowns Come Knocking, Remind Them the U.S. Constitution Enumerates Exactly What You Need to Answer; and Nothing More
I love my country, but I am appalled by my government
12.21.09
The Republicans Had 6+ Years to Legislate Changes to America's Health Care Problems
12.15.09
Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Honest Al Say's Planet Core Millions of Degrees Hot
For all the hoopla, earth's atmospheric temperature has risen one half of 1% in the last 100 years.
12.11.09
Meet Ted Cruz, the Republican Obama
Republican leadership must speak to the values of mainstream Americans; there are few doing that. The Republican Party must elect people who have firm principles; backbone and the ability to communicate.
12.10.09
American Prisoner Labor to Put More Americans on Unemployment
The title of their new playbook should be: American Gulag by Barry Soetoro and Van Jones
11.8.09
THE SCIENCE OF CLIMATEGATE, MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS, AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PARADIGM CHANGE
What Might They Have in Common?
|
