Pickens Out to Save America

Pickens Out to Save America -- This is a byline I picked up from one of the interviews or commentaries about T. Boone and his plan. There is probably more truth than sarcasm in this statement - as this is, is it not, what we are all really concerned about?

I hated history until I returned to college at 35 or so, and then really got into it. If we look at our economic history, we will see that many of the early industrialists and entrepenours (sp) were of the same mindset. How do you think we got Carnegy Hall? Where do you think Rockafeller Center came from? I grew up in Connecticut and most, if not all the major public parks in central CT were gifts from the industrialists of the area, such as Arthur Stanley of New Britain, who gave the city 2 parks, a hospital and a college, among some lesser things. My father grew up on the Stanley estate, and My grandfather was his right-hand man for most of his adult life (Stanley's, not my grandfather's) so I know a bit about this guy. Giving back to the community, state, country, etc., was fairly common before "modern" times. Why does this seem so strange to so many people? J. P Morgan (I believe) had a policy in his enterprize that no one in the company was to make more than 45 thimes (or close to that) more than the lowest paid regular employee. Compare that to modern-day CEOs.

Do you remember when Lee Iacocca reorganized Chrysler? I think his comments were:

1. We have a serious problem -

2. It will require deep salary cuts for all executive and management -

3. The first salary cut - and the last one restored - will be MINE!

And that is what he did - took $1.00 per YEAR until Chrysler was in the black -- and it did return, and hired back all those who were available when they returned to full operation. They also paid back every penny of their Government LOAN - not BAILOUT - with interest. They then proceeded to procude the small, economical cars, built in America, that Henry Ford had fired him for pushing earlier! He returned to the business scene briefly earlier this year, I believe, for an interview on FoxNews, and registered his basic disgust with the calibre and moral quality of today's Cxx types who are basicallly here to sell off everything, inflate the company stock price and make a quick killing before disappearing into the "sunset" to do it again somewhere else. This is a sad testimony to the quality of American business leadership which early on did so much for the country - even as they got rich themselves. We should NEVER begrudge a person's honest gains - we all deserve to be paid for our efforts and accomplishments, and it is even Biblical! However, there is NO EXCUSE for taking advantage of the workforce, the public, and the public trust for selfish ill-gotten profits, captured in the names of "Corporate Growth", "Greater Efficiencies", or "Internationalization"!

It is hogh time to return to the ingenuity, honesty, spirit of cooperation and high character that we once had and make America the shining star of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness that brought all of our ancesters here in the first place!