Jimmy Carter

After the news recently about Jimmy Carter having cancer many on the internet gave their thoughts on the man. Many focused on what he has done after he was president. He has accomplished more after his presidency than most of us accomplish in our entire lifetime.

I have always respected Jimmy Carter. I actually thought he was a better president than most of the presidents I have seen in my lifetime.

If someone gave me one of those word association tests and said "Jimmy Carter" I would respond "solar power". So far I have not come across anyone mentioning solar power when they opine about Jimmy Carter. Lots of people made fun of him at the time when he gave a televised speech while wearing a sweater. They also mocked him for having solar panels installed on the top of the White House.

From Wikipedia:

On April 18, 1977, Carter delivered a televised speech declaring that the U.S. energy crisis during the 1970s was the moral equivalent of war. He encouraged energy conservation by all U.S. citizens and installed solar water heating panels on the White House. He wore sweaters to offset turning down the heat in the White House.

Ask any sane and rational person what the biggest problem facing us currently is and most will respond that it is climate change. Jimmy Carter was looking for solutions to this problem back in the nineteen seventies. Solar is now a profitable and growing industry. I see ads on television for local installation. Elon Musk is associated with solar. Solar provides people with jobs.

Jimmy Carter was a futuristic visionary. That is my opinion of him.

By the way, one of the first things Ronald Reagan did as president was to have the solar panels removed from the top of the White House.