We need to herd the turkeys in Washington

Years ago in the Yakima Valley, a turkey farmer succeeded in having his operation declared a "no-fly zone."

The noise of a dust cropper's plane flying over his flock sent them into frenzy. The birds, not noted for brainpower or common sense, stampeded to a corner of their pen, trampling one another in an attempt to escape a perceived threat to their comfort.

So the farmer used his influence to get the no-fly zone and keep his turkeys content. My friend Bev Dell's father ran the small airport not far from that farm. It was his job to make sure every pilot coming in and out knew the rules. "Don't rile the turkeys."

I thought about that story a lot last weekend as we all watched the self-focused stampede at a couple of big turkey farms in our nation's capitol. The sound and fury of folks at home and a trillion-dollar loss in the stock market broke through their rarified air space. Those turkeys were in a big-time tizzy.

It's hard to find an effective leader or two in a flock of greedy turkeys accustomed to gobbling all they want and refusing to see that a day will come when the feed trough dries up and the butcher's truck arrives.

As banks failed, the stock market tanked and Americans with savings invested for their retirement took a big hit, the TV talking heads asked, "Why didn't someone tell us," and, "Where is the leadership?"

Well, there were a few folks who tried to sound the alarm.

"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening?" Lee Iacocca, legendary auto executive, wrote two years ago in his book, "Where Have All the Leaders Gone?"

"We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right off a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane, much less build a good hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when politicians say, 'Stay the course,'" Iacocca said repeatedly in national interviews.

"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," he said.

Americans may have listened and even agreed he made sense, but who heeded his warning?

When he talked about the critical need for ethics, morality, values and effective leadership in government and corporate America, his words made sense. Yet, it was easier to believe change would come without pain than to heed the warnings of an old man with a book to sell.

The turkeys stayed the course, too. An election year was coming, no time to ruffle feathers.

Summer arrived. Energy crisis? Health care? Medicare funding? Later alligator. Time for a month's vacation and some fun convention parties.

Then Wall Street imploded.

And the words of Iacocca came true. Americans woke up and started screaming bloody murder.

Now, we have to do more than be outraged at where political and corporate leaders took this country.

We must demand the men and women we elect to public office hitch up their big-kid panties and make the welfare of America and its people a priority.

We expect them to develop practical solutions to serious problems and set aside self-serving projects.

We need them to lead with courage and inspire us by their example.

I'll do my part by keeping my savings in the bank, holding on to my mutual fund investments, tightening my budget a little more and paying cash. The credit card is paid off and put away.

I am willing to accept decisions that require sacrifice on my part in Social Security and Medicare funding as long as members of Congress are prepared to sacrifice some of their lucrative benefits and pending pay increases. (They can also put a 95 percent tax on every golden parachute Wall Street and banking execs collected, including three-week Al of Washington Mutual.)

When I pick up my ballot in November I will have learned all that I can about each candidate and use my votes to elect men and women I believe have the right priorities for our nation's future.

It is way past time to plow under the turkey farms in that other Washington.



Linda Bryant Smith writes about life as a senior citizen and the issues that concern, annoy and often irritate the heck out of her now that she lives in a world where nothing is ever truly fixed but her income. You can e-mail her at ljbryantsmith@yahoo.com.