Letter: Remembering President Carter

Posted

Dear editor,

The first Presidential election I was old enough to vote in was 1976. Looking back, at that point, and for many years after, while I did vote, I didn’t take that responsibility seriously. I didn’t do any research or pay much attention to the platform of who I was voting for. In fairness, back then there was no internet or Google or an easy way to do that research. But, we were still recovering from a significant scandal – Watergate.

President Nixon was guilty of and ultimately resigned because of his attempts to orchestrate and then to cover up a break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters to try and gain intel that would help Nixon win the 1972 election. Looking back, this seems tame compared to 2020 and 2024, but that’s for another letter.

Despite my lack of knowledge, I think I voted for the right person in 1976 – Jimmy Carter. He promised to always tell the truth and was genuinely a really nice person. He was only a one-term President but he was ahead of his time in many ways. For example, he had solar panels installed on the White House that powered a water heater for their living quarters in an effort to kickstart the solar industry and clean energy.

The work he did after his presidency was incredibly impactful, not just in the United States, but in the world. He believed access to health care is a basic human right, and he worked hard for 40+ years to help the poorest people around the world gain that needed access. He is an example of what we all should aspire to.

I hope everyone takes some time in the next week to learn more about Jimmy Carter as we celebrate his life. We need more people like him in leadership positions in all levels of government. We need more people who genuinely like and respect other people, regardless of their gender, ethnicity, philosophy, and politics. We need more people who tell the truth, always. We need more people who believe it is an honor to serve their country and who are doing it because they believe they can make a difference, for all Americans, and for the rest of the world.

Rest in peace, President Jimmy Carter

-Linda Pottinger, Oregon