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Former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca says he never thought he would see the day that General Motors would go from a 60% market share to 25%. It happened.

Today, he says, foreign automakers have more than 50% of the market.

Iacocca shared his views in a Fortune magazine video earlier this month, which appeared online at CNN.com. He says one of the threats to the “Big 3” automakers is cost of health care, and noted that Toyota spends $200 per vehicle on health care and General Motors $1,500.

In September, the union contract comes up for negotiation, and it will be a watershed event. Iacocca says the government, unions and Big 3 must collaborate for a solution. The current contract is too rich and will not allow the automakers to compete globally.

Iacocca points out drastic changes from the past: GM’s market share is down by more than half, Ford’s CEO comes from Boeing and Chrysler is for sale.

As for today’s industry, he says he thinks the lines of cars are too complicated. Too many choices for customers to assimilate. He is a fan of the hybrid and says it is “here and now.”

Iacocca, who as Chrysler’s CEO chose to work for $1 a year, describes the salaries now paid to executives as a “scandal.” He noted years ago there was a Fortune cover story on executives making $25 million-$30 million and they described it as shameful. He points out, “Now these guys are making $200 million-$300 million. Are they nuts?”

As to advice he would give to young people about the car business? Iacocca says it’s an exciting time to get in. “It’s not over,” he says. “I love cars. And if you love what you’re doing, it shows.”

Iacocca had some keen observations and exhibited his wisdom and years of experience as an executive and visionary. We’re not living in the 1960s or 70s anymore—a time when foreign-made automobiles had a single-digit share of the market and the Big 3 ruled. I think they thought it would always stay that way. But times change, and in a free-enterprise market, the customer rules. Now foreign brands make up a majority share of autos sold.

Businesses must compete for customers every day. (That’s why the private sector outperforms government and public school monopolies.) And as the Big 3 may have learned the hard way, if you don’t take care of your customers and give them what they want—someone else will.

What a way to go

Let’s hope other term-limited legislators exit the stage with more class than Rep. Peppi Bruneau. He was an embarrassment.

First, he tried to bail out early to rig a special election hoping he could pass his seat to his son Jeb. Thank goodness the voters were wise to that scam and it failed. Then, as if he was pouting, he walked out two weeks early on his shortened tenure. This was the way he says farewell to his constituents and the taxpayers who paid his salary and will pay his retirement benefits?

Let’s hope all of his colleagues are watching and take note—this is not the way to bow out and conclude your tenure as a public servant.

One Baton Rouge

It was a campaign theme for Kip Holden when he ran for mayor-president: One Baton Rouge. At a news conference last week with religious, community and business leaders, Holden proclaimed May as “One Baton Rouge” month with a focus on tolerance. “Every day in our society, we unfortunately experience those who fail to show common respect for those who are not the same,” Holden says, adding, “We need people of all walks of life, working together to raise our city to new heights.”

The mayor pointed out that our city will play host to three national conventions in May. But we all know that working as “one team” is important year-round if we are to prosper and grow as a community. Ignoring the elephant in the room does not make it go away. We must talk about it.

So let’s join the mayor and pull together to be gracious hosts to our many guests and extend some Southern hospitality. And we might just extend that to our neighbors as well.

National Charter Schools Week

From April 30-May 4, charter advocates, parents, teachers and students from across the country will celebrate the role high-performing charter schools play in opening doors to hope and opportunity for families.

While charter school legislation was passed more than a decade ago in our state, the political leadership and school system has never embraced it, allowing for minimal growth. Only after Katrina—with the entire public system destroyed and federal and private money offered for charter schools only—did the concept gain traction in New Orleans.

The previous Orleans public school system was an abomination. Before Katrina, seven of 126 public schools were charters. Currently, 31 of 56 schools open are charters. Nine more will open in the fall. It is estimated that 56% of the city’s 26,000 students are in charters, making New Orleans the only major city where a majority of students are in charters. That is amazing—and could have only happened by an act of God. It is a distinction we should now be proud of and one to build on.

Don’t expect miracles, just progress. As one charter student says, “It’s a lot better. Some of the stuff they do here we would never do at my old school.” Remember, parents and children have the power of choice in a charter school to leave and go back to that “old school.”

LEAP test scores will be out for the first time in May, and we will get to compare pre- and post-Katrina scores in New Orleans.

It seems appropriate that the National Charter Schools convention will be hosted by New Orleans in 2008. Let’s hope our next governor and many new legislators will be there in support.

Charter schools and school choice should be an issue in every statewide and legislative election this fall. Demand to know where the candidates stand on this issue. It will reveal whether they are part of the status quo or open to innovation.

Three-peat

I am proud to announce that our team, led by Executive Editor JR Ball, won first place for General Excellence from the Louisiana Press Association for the third year in a row. We also received seven other awards for our writing, photography and Web site. We competed with publications in Louisiana from New Orleans to Lafayette to Shreveport in the Free Circulation and Special Interest Publications Division.

This follows on the heels of our National Gold Award from the Alliance for Area Business Publications for “best business newspaper,” a competition judged by the faculty of the Columbia School of Journalism at the University of Missouri. We are proud of our team and its continued commitment to excellence—and to you, our readers.

We also want to congratulate The Advocate, which won first place for General Excellence in its division and took home Newspaper of the Year honors. Two other area papers also won for General Excellence: The Livingston Parish News and the Donaldsonville Chief.