Happy 100th birthday to Jimmy Carter


Here is one of several articles you can find on former President Jimmy Carter's 100th birthday. I was a kid when Jimmy Carter was President. Although I don't remember a ton from the Nixon/Ford era, I do remember what my parents thought of Nixon (not favorable) and Ford (pardoning Nixon was one of Ford's cardinal sins). Jimmy Carter's campaign and his Presidency was really a breath of fresh air. In my elementary school class, we had our mock Presidential election where we "voted" for either Carter or Ford. I was one of the only kids in my class to vote for Carter. That makes sense to me now after I made the mistake of reconnecting with some classmates on Facebook last decade. 

The 1970s was, to be perfectly frank, a lousy era to live in. President Carter was dealt some lousy cards when it came to the economy and international relations, but he played them as well as anyone would expect. Stagflation was a persistent problem. The Iran hostage situation was going to be difficult for any President to navigate. And the Cold War with the Soviet Union was just starting to heat up during the last roughly year of his Presidency (remember the USSR invading Afghanistan and trying to install a communist government?). So by 1980 we saw the high fuel prices, high prices for groceries, and the US government got a bit of a black eye from the whole Iran situation. Running against a charismatic opponent in 1980 probably was the last straw for his time in the White House.

But his second act was one for which he will be remembered more than his generally okay term in office. I don't know how many of us knew Habitat for Humanity even existed or what it did. But thanks to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter's work with Habitat for Humanity, we all quickly found out. And it was impressive that he and the former First Lady continued to volunteer their time to help build homes into their 90s. I viewed the Carters as generally good folks - the sort I'd easily invite to cookouts. Jimmy's last act is probably to cast a vote for Kamala Harris as she campaigns to make history as our first woman elected as President. Hope is contagious, and Jimmy Carter radiated hope and joy. We could learn a lot from him about how to lead a good life. 

Cheers to making it to 100 years.

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