Had Enough? 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 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 President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don’t need it). 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 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.
My friends tell me to calm down. They say, “Lee, you’re eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people.” I’d love to—as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I’m going to speak up because it’s my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I’ll tell you how I see it, and it’s not pretty, but at least it’s real. I’m hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don’t vote because they don’t trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us.
This recent BSL business and my recent decision to read, “Where have all the Leader’s gone?” by Lee Iaccoca, has gotten me into a bit of a mental kerfuffle. In my life I’ve never seen the good in even thinking about politics much. It seems to me that our government is BROKEN. Totally. The one remaining vestige of true democracy as set forth by brilliant, forward thinking, revolutionaries…yes, the constitution. Is being consistently side stepped by the current administration. And increasingly it is apparent that money runs the world. Which I know is a asinine statement of facts. But in the context of governing a populace is a horribly bad idea.
Regardless, I’ve never wanted to follow politics for the simple reason that it ONLY ever lead me to frustration, fear, and a massive loss of hope for the American people.
Enter Lee Iacocca’s book. Though I’ve only read the first 50 pages or so…Lee has accomplished his goal of rabble rousing a few of us to action. And I’m ON THE VERGE of taking action. Yes, on the verge…if I commit more than that I’ll only let us down.
The actions I’m on the VERGE of taking are thusly…
- Do my best to inform myself of the facts regarding the state of our country and its officials.
- Accomplish this only via web based sources.
- Form opinions, and stances based on the information I gain.
- Commit to doing my part in the context of democracy and free speech.
- Vote.
Mind you, I’ve never done anything like this…I’ve always had opinions and ideas about where things were headed. But they’ve always been based on very little factual evidence and a whole lot of half crocked opinion.
So, if Lee has inspired me to do this, I think his book is invaluable to American’s. Especially, the apathetic, the apolitical, and those who like me…feel a bit defeated and dishonored by our government.
Author: j0shua
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