January 10, 2025
Dear Interested Readers,
Opposites and Uncertainties
Late Tuesday afternoon, I was doing my home PT program when my wife turned on the local evening news and we discovered the television presentation of Jimmy Carter’s casket being brought to the rotunda of the Capital where he was to lie in state until his funeral yesterday at the National Cathedral. John Thune, Mike Johnson, Kamala Harris, and others extolled the late president’s virtues as a leader. They reviewed his accomplishments in office and reminded us of his most remarkable achievements in the years after his presidency.
It was impossible to keep my mind from wandering into contrasting such a remarkably honest man with our incoming president, a reelected and convicted felon. Jimmy Carter got his final honors and was buried yesterday. I watched the funeral, and once again I was deeply moved by the testimonies to the remarkable life that he lived. As the sons of Gerald Ford and Walter Mondale read the thoughts of their fathers, and as Andrew Young recounted his experiences with President Carter, I asked myself again and again why we fail to recognize greatness when it is alive and in front of us.
I was curious about the “Presidents’ Row” at the funeral because I did not see Michelle Obama who apparently had a scheduling conflict. Donald Trump and Melania, a former and future president and first lady were at the far end of the row. At one point before the service began, Presidents Obama and Trump seemed to share something funny. Most of the time during the funeral when the cameras caught a glimpse of the former and future president he looked bored and was modeling his usual scowl. Was he thinking about what might be said at his funeral?
What a contrast! We bury an exemplary human whom we never fully understood during his tenure in office one day, and the next day a man whose flaws are well understood avoided any significant penalty for his crimes. He didn’t even need to show up and face the judge in person as he appeared virtually before Judge Juan Merchan for less than a slap on the wrists that makes a joke of the concept that no one is above the law. His only penalty will be that he will forever be labeled as a felon unless he wins an appeal of his conviction which he will certainly pursue.
In just ten days, Trump will assume the leadership of the free world just four years after proving that he was not up to the task. In an amazing sequence of events, he has been rehired for a job that he does not have the character or intellectual capacity to assume. The contrast of Trump with Carter boggles the mind. It is hard to imagine two men with greater differences in their approaches to the responsibilities of the office of president and the living of a purposeful life.
Jimmy Carter ran for election to restore faith in the office of the president. Many believe that the motivation behind Trump’s efforts to get reelected was to extract revenge from his political enemies. I wonder if he was listening while Jimmy Carter’s grandson read from the Sermon on the Mount. Was he listening when it was mentioned several times that Carter accepted the principle that we must love one another, including our enemies?
Carter promised to always be truthful, and he was truthful to his own detriment. Trump is frequently untruthful; always to his great benefit. The Washington Post published that he had uttered over 30,000 lies or misleading statements during his four years in office. Now, Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg has announced that they will not be fact-checking the incoming president’s comments in office. I haven’t seen an official count of lies, misrepresentations of facts, and half-truths that were prominent during his reelection campaign, but I am sure that he told hundreds. CNN documented over forty in just two speeches in Pennsylvania.
My maternal grandmother’s recurrent admonition to me was to “mind out” and to be a good boy. Many times she said to me, “Gene, be sure your sin will find you out!” She seemed to think that this should be everyone’s expectation. If she was right, I am waiting for Trump’s behavior to find him out sometime in the next four years. I also expect that we will all suffer at that moment. It never ends well in a relationship with a narcissist. I am beginning to expect that the collapse will occur as a function of a null set of realities.
I may be misusing the term, “null set.” What I mean is that there are internal contradictions in possibility between the things that he says he is going to do, and the realities that exist. For example, there is no way you can offer the tax cuts he promises, impose the tariffs he wants, increase military spending, deport millions, build a border wall, and fulfill the promise not to cut Medicare and Social Security without incurring huge deficits and accelerating inflation that many of the more libertarian members of his party vow to fight.
What we have is a host of contradictory promises made to create enthusiasm among naive voters. Who knows if he truly believes that all these things will work together for our collective benefit? What we do know is that enough people were suckered into offering up their vote for some sense of self-interest to give the presidency back to a man who rightfully should be loathed for the damage that he has already done to any sense of national unity or the common good. We are likely to be headed into a period of chaos.
The election is behind us. The same party holds control of both Houses of Congress and the presidency so it would be logical to assume that we will see a host of promises combined into one huge bill that would be passed by the “Budget Reconciliation” process that avoids filibusters in the Senate. Trump’s problem will be in the House where the “Freedom Caucus” doesn’t like deficits or taxes and can cause trouble for him. We will see. Whether or not there will be chaos in Trump’s second term, it will be a difficult four years for those of us who believe that sound government policy could improve the lives of all Americans with a balanced approach of programs designed to improve the social determinants of health funded by equitable taxes. If there is any progress toward the Triple Aim or health equity in the next four years, it will be because of state and local efforts. I don’t expect any leadership toward more equitable or affordable healthcare coming from a Trump administration.
As I reflected on what we have lost and what we will be forced to endure, I decided to look for some wisdom in Jimmy Carter’s most important and misunderstood speech, officially entitled, Crisis of Confidence, but better known as his “Malaise” speech. It was delivered on national television on July 15, 1979. I well remember his earnest delivery, and how honest I felt he was. You can see all thirty-two minutes by clicking here.
Carter begins by reflecting on the fact that it had been exactly three years since he received the nomination of his party. He goes on to say:
I promised you a president who is not isolated from the people, who feels your pain, and who shares your dreams and who draws his strength and his wisdom from you.
During the past three years, I’ve spoken to you on many occasions about national concerns, the energy crisis, reorganizing the government, our nation’s economy, and issues of war and especially peace. But over those years the subjects of the speeches, the talks, and the press conferences have become increasingly narrow, focused more and more on what the isolated world of Washington thinks is important. Gradually, you’ve heard more and more about what the government thinks or what the government should be doing and less and less about our nation’s hopes, our dreams, and our vision of the future.
He continues by saying that over the previous ten days, he had huddled at Camp David with many people from across the country. He asked them to give him their ideas about his failures and the problems that the nation faced. He had asked them for their advice. He wanted to get their ideas about what we should do. At the time we were threatened by our dependence on foreign oil.
Ten days ago I had planned to speak to you again about a very important subject — energy. For the fifth time I would have described the urgency of the problem and laid out a series of legislative recommendations to the Congress. But as I was preparing to speak, I began to ask myself the same question that I now know has been troubling many of you. Why have we not been able to get together as a nation to resolve our serious energy problem?
He goes on to say that he believed the true problems were much deeper than he had appreciated which was why he spent the previous ten days at Camp David getting advice from a wide spectrum of Americans. The summary of those conversations was:
“Mr. President, we are confronted with a moral and a spiritual crisis.”
He concluded from the conversations:
…The threat is nearly invisible in ordinary ways. It is a crisis of confidence. It is a crisis that strikes at the very heart and soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation. The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America…Our people are losing that faith, not only in government itself but in the ability as citizens to serve as the ultimate rulers and shapers of our democracy…In a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns. But we’ve discovered that owning things and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning. We’ve learned that piling up material goods cannot fill the emptiness of lives which have no confidence or purpose.
Being an effective source of honest self-observation has not been a common presidential skill. Politicians, including presidents usually tell us what we want to hear while overlooking their own failures. Carter had the courage to tell us what we needed to hear. He continued to explore how the moment evolved.
These changes did not happen overnight. They’ve come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy.
We were sure that ours was a nation of the ballot, not the bullet, until the murders of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. We were taught that our armies were always invincible and our causes were always just, only to suffer the agony of Vietnam. We respected the presidency as a place of honor until the shock of Watergate… We believed that our nation’s resources were limitless until 1973, when we had to face a growing dependence on foreign oil…The gap between our citizens and our government has never been so wide. The people are looking for honest answers, not easy answers; clear leadership, not false claims and evasiveness and politics as usual.
[On that assumption, he was wrong. When Reagan offered easy answers the following year, we jumped for them]
Next, he asks, “What can we do?” He answered his own question with answers specific to 1979, but his answers showed a prescient recognition of the long-term changes that we needed to make so that the problems of 1979 would be resolved before 2000. I will leave the discovery of those recommendations to you if you care.
His advice was rejected by the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Reagan made voters feel better by saying that government regulations, communism, and welfare cheaters were our problems. Reagan knew what most voters wanted to hear. Surely you remember his famous statement about the nine scariest words in the English language, “I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” As a result, the problems Carter challenged us to face in 1979 are still with us and even more critical almost fifty years later. His first step toward solutions was mightily resisted.
First of all, we must face the truth, and then we can change our course. We simply must have faith in each other, faith in our ability to govern ourselves, and faith in the future of this nation. Restoring that faith and that confidence to America is now the most important task we face. It is a true challenge of this generation of Americans.
We know the strength of America. We are strong. We can regain our unity. We can regain our confidence. We are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. Our fathers and mothers were strong men and women who shaped a new society during the Great Depression, who fought world wars, and who carved out a new charter of peace for the world…We ourselves are the same Americans who just ten years ago put a man on the Moon. We are the generation that dedicated our society to the pursuit of human rights and equality. And we are the generation that will win the war on the energy problem and in that process rebuild the unity and confidence of America.
We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to choose. One is a path I’ve warned about tonight, the path that leads to fragmentation and self-interest. Down that road lies a mistaken idea of freedom, the right to grasp for ourselves some advantage over others. That path would be one of constant conflict between narrow interests ending in chaos and immobility. It is a certain route to failure.
All the traditions of our past, all the lessons of our heritage, all the promises of our future point to another path, the path of common purpose and the restoration of American values. That path leads to true freedom for our nation and ourselves. We can take the first steps down that path as we begin to solve our energy problem.
We didn’t listen, and we continued to pay a huge price for our attention to self-interest over our commitment to our collective interests. Carter was not the first prophet to offer a better way. I hope that he won’t be the last. I think that Kamala Harris tried to deliver the same message, but she suffered a similar loss to a man who promised that only he could fix for us what can only be fixed by us by recognizing that everyone has a right to the opportunity to realize their desire for physical and economic health for themselves and their families. As long as there are those among us who are denied equality, we are all threatened. Jimmy Carter always knew that we should love one another as we love ourselves.
Carter continues his speech with very specific actions that he will take within the powers of his office. He also outlines the help that he wants from Congress and the American people. I would argue that if he had been reelected and those recommendations had not been abandoned, we would all be living in a safer, more prosperous world, without the extreme threats of global warming and international terrorism. He saw solving our energy crisis as the first step on a path toward equity of opportunity.
Our nation must be fair to the poorest among us, so we will increase aid to needy Americans to cope with rising energy prices. We often think of conservation only in terms of sacrifice. In fact, it is the most painless and immediate way of rebuilding our nation’s strength. Every gallon of oil each one of us saves is a new form of production. It gives us more freedom, more confidence, that much more control over our own lives.
So, the solution of our energy crisis can also help us to conquer the crisis of the spirit in our country. It can rekindle our sense of unity, our confidence in the future, and give our nation and all of us individually a new sense of purpose.
I do not promise you that this struggle for freedom will be easy. I do not promise a quick way out of our nation’s problems, when the truth is that the only way out is an all-out effort…Little by little we can and we must rebuild our confidence…we can succeed only if we tap our greatest resources — America’s people, America’s values, and America’s confidence…I will do my best, but I will not do it alone. Let your voice be heard. Whenever you have a chance, say something good about our country. With God’s help and for the sake of our nation, it is time for us to join hands in America. Let us commit ourselves together to a rebirth of the American spirit. Working together with our common faith we cannot fail.
I have no problem with the idea of protecting or reclaiming America’s greatness. My problem lies with Trump’s MAGA movement as a strategic approach to that objective. I don’t think Project 2025, MAGA philosophies, or whatever you might extract as tactics from Trump’s rambling and incoherent campaign speeches and all-caps tweets describe a path toward a better America,
Our problem has not been a lack of effective strategic offerings from capable leaders. Our problem has been a reluctance to accept the leaders who challenge us to do the work and make the short-term sacrifices necessary to move everyone forward together. This has also been true in our efforts to improve our system of healthcare. We have road maps to better care, but not the will to follow them. I fear that we will be treading water trying not to drown over the next few years as we attempt to survive yet another “unforced error” in our leadership choice.
Burr! It’s Been Cold
Where I live we have not topped 32 degrees yet in 2025! The long-range forecast over the next ten days shows that we might make 31 degrees on Monday, but then we are back to the mid and low 20s for several more days. The low temps have felt even colder because of persistent winds. The good news is that we have had no significant snow although we have had several dusting. (Honestly, I really like getting snow, but my wife doesn’t.)
My friend and neighbor, Peter Bloch, continues to grace us with his study of the ice on our lake. If you want to see his production, Ice Dreams #4, click here. The video was recorded on New Year’s Eve. We had lost much of our snow with rains and temps up to fifty before Christmas, but the ice persisted although the lack of snow in some areas could fool you into thinking that the ice is gone. I haven’t tested the thickness, but in years past it has been two feet thick. If you watch the video at about 2:12 you see a skier being pulled along by his kite. Peter promises a video that will focus on the skier. That should be amazing. The fact that much of the snow was washed away was an opportunity for many skaters over the holidays.
Today’s header is a screenshot from the same video and shows the early morning sun shining through the white pines on “Stanley Point.” I often see an eagle sitting in the pine tree that is at the tip of the peninsula. I have even seen him dive from his perch and come up with a fish. I wonder where he is now because the fish are under the ice and safe from his talons. What I have not seen are ice fishermen in the very cold and windy weather. I expect that they will show up if the temps come up and the winds die down. A favorite location for the icehouses of the fishermen is just off Stanley Point.
My trips outside these days are limited to getting wood from the woodshed and filling my bird feeders. I did walk a mile with my crutches earlier this week, and I was frozen to the bone. I’ve decided to focus on my Peloton for exercise until it is a little warmer, This time of year there is nothing nicer than sitting by a blazing fireplace with a good book and a hot cup of coffee, tea, or coco. Life is good!
I hope that you are warm. I am very concerned about the fires in Southern California. I can tell that I am getting old because I focus on the weather and distant disasters. I hope that wherever you are you are warm and not in harm’s way.
Be well,
Gene
P.S. Late last night after completing the first draft of this letter, I noticed that Peter had just released the video of the ice skier with his kite. Click here for a treat. The music is provided by Kathy Lowe, Peter’s very talented wife
