Jimmy Carter Speech

Yellow - What is the real threat to America, and is that threat still with us today?



The real threat to America is that we do not have the confidence that we, as a Nation, used to have. Our lack of confidence is going to destroy America. We are confronted with a "moral and spiritual crisis". We are losing confidence in the future as well as starting to "close the door" on our confidence in the past. Another crisis include inflation and our continually growing dependence upon oil. We have a problem still today that we are very dependant upon oil still; foreign oil especially. We do not, as I see it, have too much of a confidence problem. Especially with our newly elected President, people have new hope and are confident that we are now moving in a new direction without discrimination.



Red - What is Carter saying about American society? Analyze America today against his critique.



Carter is saying that American society is is too self-indulged and too involved in consumption. He also said that humanity is not defined any longer by what someone does, but by what one owns. Carter also said that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives with no purpose. In the speech he also says that most people believed that the next five years were going to be worse than the last four years as well as two-thirds of the people not even voting. American working productivity started to slow down and willingness of Americans has dropped. President Carter also said that there was a growing disrespect for government, churches and schools, and the news media. Today, I think that America and the people are still very self-involved and I think that people are still no longer defined by what they do, but by what they have. Although, I think that we are getting towards a place in out country that we can look at people in a different way.



Green - Compare Carter's plan to confront an energy crisis with President Obama's plan. How do they differ and how are they alike? How do their plans reveal what they think the real problem is?



Carter proposed to not used more foreign oil than America did in 1977 - ever. He said that every single demand for energy will be met from our own production and conservation. The long growth in the dependence upon foreign oil will be stopped and then reversed through the 1980's.