Hypothesis for “Where Have All the Leaders Gone?”
Mr. Iacocca, perhaps I am not wealthy enough to be allowed to make conclusions. Perhaps I have not made it to the top of the heap, as others have done, so I am simply a stupid intellectual to be ignored.
Nevertheless, my recent reading of essays about the wealthiest persons in the world, Andrew Carnegie, I may have stumbled across the answer to the question you posed in your 2007 book, Where Have all the Leaders Gone?
Andrew Carnegie believed CEOs of corporations had to learn what work ethic is and that those who inherited wealth don’t know what true work ethic is. Therefore, these people should not lead. They become false models for those who work for them. The problem of work ethics lies not in the workers, but in the leaders.
In order to fix this idea of “work ethic,” the late Kenneth Lay and other living stupid leaders force the Ayn Rand “ethics” or “virtues” of selfishness and greed – espoused by Greenspan and Paul Ryan – upon employees like a communist leader or the pope, elders of Mormonism, and the late Jerry Falwell of the Southern Baptists (and other leaders) claim there is “utopia” if people only follow one way of thinking.
There is no objection to the role greed and selfishness played in the rise of the poor son of Scottish Presbyterian immigrants, wealthy tycoon, Andrew Carnegie, to the accumulation of massive amounts of wealth (when considered for the days he lived). There is no denying statements by 18th-century economist, Adam Smith, in the claim capitalism should be free of interference. But to embrace ONLY these statements to validate Ayn Rand’s irrational thoughts about “virtues” or Barry Goldwater’s irrational statements about greed – there is a virtue in NOT “compromise” – is absurd.
Mitt Romney admires Goldwater’s nonsense “virtues” and Paul Ryan admires Rand’s nonsense “virtues.” Both fly in the face of one of the wealthiest men in the world. Andrew Carnegie also believed the wealthy have a duty to society.
Mr. Carnegie lived at a time when unions had not been established, so he agreed with the others in his management cronies. They were all against unions. But his reasoning was based on the fact that HE insisted he never had any assistance (or so he claimed – and he is wrong) to earn his wealth. A teacher had assistance from my mother, became wealthy and departed from the teaching profession, and then spurned my mother. How many wealthy ones like him disavow the assistance they received from peons along the way? Thus, it is right for unions to provide assistance to those who don’t have it. The problem, as you point out in your book, Mr. Iacocca, is when unions become as unreasonable as the wealthy CEOs have also become.
Romney received help from Daddy. Paul Ryan had an attorney as a father who likely made more money than teachers. George W. Bush had assistance from his daddy and made a LOUSY leader (as pointed out in your book, Mr. Iacocca). These are all lousy leaders who have inherited wealth.
Barack Obama worked his way up. Joe Biden worked low-paying blue collar jobs as he worked his way to the top. By Andrew Carnegie’s standards, the choice is clear. Obama and Biden.
Perhaps there are some detected levels of imperfections in these two guys. Perhaps the same can be said about Andrew Carnegie, too. When these two guys “step on toes” of others – as Romney / Ryan do all the time – the roar of Fox Noise is deafening. My bet is that Andrew Carnegie never had that kind of sabotage, but even if he did, his extreme wealth could shut it down immediately.
The problem lies in racism, too. After all, who are the guys who have likely inherited the wealth today? Stupid white men who carry a hidden objection to African Americans or Hispanics working their way to the top. Deceptive men (and women?) who live in denial of their hidden racist attitudes. And yes, there might be disappointed good white Anglos who are passed over, due to affirmative action. But why do these idiots continue to vote for stupid white men like Bush, Romney, and Ryan, rather than work together with those who recognize the value of diversity? Actually, I have heard African Americans, perhaps familiar with Andrew Carnegie’s success, who have spoken out against affirmative action, too.
Where have all the leaders gone, Mr. Iacocca? Perhaps this blog provides some answers. But who the hell am I? Nothing but horse shit, don’t you know?
Tioga Herald 
“Ye of Little Faith!”
People have preached to me about Armageddon, yet I do not explain my own faith. I find the idea of Armageddon repulsive and demonstrates a lack of faith in God. My grandmother would often say, when I lacked any faith: “Ye of little faith!” Presumably this derives from a book in the library called, “Bible.” My grandmother also would repeat, “judge not lest ye be judged.”
The book of Revelation, where Armageddon is discussed, was hotly disputed as to whether it should be part of the “Christian” canon. Yet, there it is with all it’s nastiness and hate.
The idea of Armageddon, “dooms day,” and day of wrath is about our OWN judgment day. In the faith I gained while growing up, we were told to be responsible for our own actions, lest that day would be upon us. My mother would often say, “you have enough to worry about with your own stuff, so don’t worry about what others are doing.” Mothers are correct. “God helps those who help themselves,” was another quotation floated around me while growing up.
My grandfather was a friend of [Dr.] Norman Vincent Peale during Peale’s undergraduate years in college. My family believed in the power of “positive thinking.” “The glass is half full, not half empty.” There are times it is difficult to be positive. There are times it is difficult to remain positive without appearing to have “wishful thinking.” Positive thinking is NOT about “wishful thinking.” Those who attack ideas of “positive thinking” attack it with false attacks of “wishful thinking.” They don’t understand, nor do they attempt to understand.
My ideas are written here for people to freely choose to read. I do not force these ideas upon others, unless asked. I do not give these ideas unsolicited.
But many judgmental people will force their ideas about “dooms day” upon me. I find this to be irritating, annoying, downright nasty, and most of all – harassment. The USA Prohibition era was a time of nastiness, forcing judgment upon the entire population, in a fascist manner. My grandmother, in her younger college-age years was part of the movement to prohibit alcohol. So why, in later years, did she tell me to “judge not lest you be judged?” Because my grandmother learned something which Diana Butler Bass reminds us about in her book, Christianity for the Rest of Us: “seek wisdom, not certainty.” Others who knew of her aversion to alcohol and her days as a “prohibitionist” might find her to be a hypocrite while repeating, “judge not lest you be judged.” But they fail to realize there was a huge crisis and event in her life which taught her wisdom. Why does it take such catastrophic events to teach wisdom? Why can we not learn wisdom from what others do to teach about it? Good questions. The ones who are loudmouths harass me with their negative vibes of “dooms day,” but fail to pursue ideas and LEARN from others who might have more wisdom.
The point of Diana Butler Bass’s book is about spirituality. The notion of spirituality is lost upon those who embrace “dooms day” theology. “Dooms day” theology promotes negative “spirituality” based on fear and intimidation. Therefore, one can say this is an evil spirituality. But go ahead, point the finger at me and say the same thing about positive thinking. The day of judgment is upon you, as two fingers point back at you, too. Precisely the reason a wise old woman said to me, “judge not lest you be judged!”
Douglas Cornwell
Tioga Herald
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Political Commentary, Religion
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