If Benjamin Franklin were alive today, he'd be thrown in jail for sailing a kite without a license!

Tucker: The man and his dream (1988)
starting Jeff Bridges, Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and Executive Producer George Lucas. Paramount Pictures


"When I was a boy, I used to read all about Edison and the Wright brothers, Mr. Ford. They were my heroes. "Rags to Riches" -- that's not just the name of a book, that's what this country was all about. We invented the "free enterprise" system, where anybody, no matter who he was, where he came from, what class he belonged to -- if he came up with a better idea about anything, there's no limit to how far he could go.

I grew up a generation too late, I guess, because now the way the system works the loner, the dreamer, the crackpot who comes up with some crazy idea that everybody laughs at, that later turns out to revolutionize the world -- he's squashed from above before he even gets his head out of the water because the bureaucrats, they'd rather kill a new idea than let it rock the boat!! If Benjamin Franklin were alive today, he'd be thrown in jail for sailing a kite without a license!

It's true. We're all puffed up with ourselves now 'cause we invented the bomb --dropped the -- beat the daylights out of the Japanese, the Nazis. But if big business closes the door on the little guy with a new idea, we're not only closing the door on progress, but we're sabotaging everything that we fought for! Everything that the country stands for!!

And one day we're going to find ourselves at the bottom of the heap instead of king of the hill, having no idea of how we got there, buying our radios and our cars from our former enemies.

I don't believe that's going to happen. I can't believe it because if I ever stop believing in the plain 'ole common horse sense of the American people, be no way I could get out of bed in the morning.

Thank you."

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Tucker
• Jeff Bridges
• Francis Ford Coppola
• George Lucas
• economy
• collapse
• big business
• progress
• tucker torpedo
• economic crisis
• 1948

[NeverLearnNotToLove]

That was one of the best speech's i've heard in a movie. Everything that he said is true, us Americans are now at the bottom buying products from the Japanese. What a man. Its a shame they took everything from him, even his reputation was ruined. R.I.P. Preston Thomas Tucker.

[ClassicMuscleTM]

I can relate, actually I restored the #1003 Tucker for George Lucas and then Dean Kruse; then Sold after ,to a collector. This was Godsent; for me and the guys, we will never forget! Bad and Great issues!God Blessed Preston Tucker of vision, but history told the story and as you can see, we no longer build, invent or even maunufacture in America! Not the most powerful country anymore!

Classic Muscle continues to invent with Tucker in mind. (electric and gas)!

Have a Blessed day and New Year!

[ValiantVendetta]

@ValiantVendetta Same reason any country does, price. Wages in other countries are lower, thus it's cheaper to make cars overseas but only if people buy them. America bought them because they were cheap, now they don't have jobs at the factories anymore.

[BataLukaBeograd]

@ValiantVendetta I am from Serbia, where american ars are rare, but my favorite car is Chevrolet... American cars are the best.......Why did they ever let foreign cars enter USA?

[ValiantVendetta]

@BataLukaBeograd I guess Americans should've bought local because now they are out of work and relying on other countries to sell them things that they invented, pioneered, developed and perfected.

[BataLukaBeograd]

And that is true - Americans are now buying Hondas, Mitsubishis and Hyundais, and worst of all - hybrid Toyotas.... Where did all those great American cars go????

[Jurassic0Al]

Preston Tucker and Michael Collins are two people I've always admired. Against impossible odds they battled to do something they truly believed in, and in both cases almost- almost- made it. Collins almost freed Ireland and Tucker almost gave us that gorgeous car. It doesn't really matter that they didn't fully succeed. To quote Tucker, "It's the idea that counts... the dream."

That, and that they never quit. They never gave up the fight.

[buzzclick500]

If Mr. Tucker had only known that our government went bankrupt in 1933 and had no power whatsoever to interrupt his work....it's little things like that that are good to know.

[MrDanoconnor]

Unbelievable? If you think it can't happen again look up the name Stanley Meyer......

[eldo59]

If only Tucker's legacy went on beyond 50 fifty cars who knows where his company would be today!!!