Why Jimmy Carter is a Class Act....

[BooScout]

My mom got to meet President Carter this week. Not once, but twice!

She and two lady friends planned a day at the Carter Library. While wandering around down there they saw President Carter and his entourage swoop by. Excitely they asked a Security Guard if that was Jimmy and he confirmed it. President Carter and Rosyln were there for the dedication of the new Rose Garden and the guard told them they should be sure to stop by and view it while they were there.

So mom and her two lady friends decided to grab a bite to eat in the cafe and then afterwards go see the Rose Garden......when they got to the entrance some snotty lil docent stopped them and told them it was closed for a "private ceremony" ....my mom piped up and said "We know, the security guard said to come by and visit the garden"...........the docent was having none of it and told them they couldn't go in until after the ceremony was over in an hour or so...............so mom and the ladies strolled down the path aways and parked it on a bench.................and who should come sailing through but Jimmy and Roslyn again. ....and this time Jimmy decides to come over and chat. He walks over to them (mind you I can imagine my mom,......and I bet all 3 ladies had hats on and pretty lil southern outfits) introduces himself and Roslyn, asks them how they are and how they are enjoying their visit and were they coming to the dedication ceremony for the Rose Garden? My mom pipes up and says they can't, that the lady docent at the entrance won't let them .......Carter just grins and says.........."come on with us and be our guests". .....but the ladies declined demurely since Liv (one of the ladies) was 91 and might have a bit of a hard time standing for very long. They told him they would just sit on the bench and wait for the ceremony to be over and then tour the garden..............so afterwards...........as they are sitting there...........Jimmy and Roslyn again detour to their bench and chat again for a good 5 or 10 minutes ....making 3 lil old ladies day and probably month for sure. .......that President Carter...........I tell ya......he is something else.

:)

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Yes he is a lovely man :^)

[Redstone]

2. Well, yes. How many ex-presidents spend their retirement time

building houses for poor people?

He's a good guy.

Redstone

[glarius]

3. Jimmy Carter's goodness just shines out of his face!..

Consider the difference in his post-presidency and George Bush Sr.'s.....Pres. Carter has devoted his life to helping the poor (Habitat for Humanity) and weak and helpless of the world.....Bush has devoted himself to gaining more wealth and power.....

[Double T]

4. A man and a president of the highest integrity who truly acts.....

as he believes.

[DawnneOBTS]

5. My favorite president

What other ex-president has give so much of themselves to do so much for others? I mean, I know Bill Clinton has done much for AIDS and other causes, but he is no Jimmy Carter. And no Republican has done a thing when they left office except acquire more wealth.

[livetohike]

6. Great story and

welcome to DU, btw! :hi:

[BooScout]

9. Thanks

:)

[Not Me]

7. He taught a class my son attended at Emory a few years ago...

to this day, he goes on and on about Professor Carter.

[wuushew]

8. Class acts shouldn't support CAFTA or frown on Chavez

there are cracks in the facade

[Elwood P Dowd]

11. He was also a strong proponent of NAFTA, GATT, WTO

and he supports NAFTA On Steroids - FTAA. When it comes to trade deals, Jimmy will always back the money boys.

[katinmn]

12. Ya know, there are some positive aspects to trade agreements

They can be positive when OUR government follows through on its promises and enforces its own regulations.

Trade agreements with China have improved the lives of the Chinese people. Far from perfect, but it is much better.

I believe you are more apt to have more understanding and better overall relationships with people you are trading with.

And before you flame me, I'm a former union member, an affiliate member of a union, and I support much of the union agenda, which a lot of people feel is radical leftist.

[wuushew]

14. It is not logical for a political entity to be altruistic

China has improved itself at the expense of the American worker. They can and do manufacture identical products for less expense.

The impressive growth of China and India in has no way benefited the environment as they have both increased their per capita consumption of energy, chiefly by burning non-renewable fossil fuels.

Trade agreements should be based on comparative advantage in manufacturing not advantage in wage levels. It makes sense for similarly developed countries to pursue trade agreements based on their deposition of minerals and natural resources. NAFTA if it had limited only to Canada and the United States would have been such an agreement since it is based on synergistic gain not altruism.

Free trade could work if the government provided a way of compensating for the massive social costs of job loss and retraining, but it doesn't. Also I believe it is a mistake to believe that capitalism and trade exist to create jobs. It exists to concentrate wealth. The rich don't get wealthy by writing checks they get rich by hording the fruits of labor. Walmart is ultimately shooting itself in the foot by destroying the middle class. This doesn't matter because greed is always a blind short sited behavior that in no way takes sustainability into consideration. By the time America collapses all that wealth will be in tangible forms such as gold, mansions, painting, yachts or other junk. The rich will laugh at the rest of us as they enjoy the tax free lifestyle of living off undeserved interest.

[wuushew]

15. Additionally the American left is economically populist

The working and poor classes of this country by virtue of their numbers should set economic policy. The wealthiest of us will never be worse off then the least of us so from a societal utility maximization standpoint it always make sense to enact progressive policy. Unfortunately due to the influence of money and corruption, corporate interests are disproportionally represented in our political process.

We should not worry about what is "best" for the Chinese the same that we should not meddle in what is "best" for Iraqis. Countries can and should interact when both parties have mutual and supporting interests.

The middle class is an artificial construct made possible by labor laws, progressive taxation and labor unions. Natural systems always tend towards equilibrium in the absence of active interference. The best quality of life resembles what the Europeans have achieved by a regulated and just economy not what would occur here if continuing outsourcing and globalization return labor to the position it was in during the 19th century.

[BooScout]

16. All that aside (& true or not)

He still made 3 little old ladies happy..and made this jaded Liberal smile for a bit of nice news for a change.

[wuushew]

18. Yeah I went off on a tangent

I still love Jimmy Carter as a humanitarian and man of peace. Clearly the most successful ex-POTUS we have ever had.

[katinmn]

10. That story speaks volumes about what kind of person he is.

Thanks for sharing.

Glad your mom had a good time!:)

[DavidDvorkin]

13. I've been depressed ever since the 1980 election

I couldn't believe that the American people voted for that repellent idiot Reagan over Carter. Still can't quite believe it.

[katinmn]

20. That's 25 years!!

That's too long to be depressed. Didn't you have even a little fun while Clinton was president?

[DavidDvorkin]

22. Sure, I was somewhat hopeful during the Clinton years

For the most part, and especially because I deluded myself that the country would move left after Clinton's eight years.

So I exaggerated when I said I've been depressed since then. But not entirely. The 1980 election robbed me of any illusions I had left about the American electorate, and I was shocked and distressed at the pro-Reagan bias in the media. (The anti-Carter bias began much earlier, right after he was elected in 1976.) The media bias kept growing during the Clinton years, and the Republican Congress during most of that time kept me from any euphoria.

In general, though, the picture, in my view, has been one of deepening gloom and pessimism since the 1980 election, with only brief moments of . . . well, a bit less gloom and pessimism.

[ProfessorGAC]

17. Actually, Jimmy Does Stuff Like This BECAUSE He Is A Class Act

Doing that isn't why he is classy. He did it because he already was classy. He's really smart and really caring too.

Good on your mom. He's someone i would like to meet, too.
The Professor

[lucca]

19. What a wonderful story!

Yes, President Carter and Roslyn are something else indeed!
They have integrity, compassion, honesty...They have my respect.

[BigBearJohn]

21. A true Southern Gentleman in the best sense of the word.

[DemBeans]

23. what a terrific story

There's an essential decency about Carter that I've always loved. He's a genuine person, not a puffed-up jerk like so many politicians today. Thank you for the story - what a wonderful day he gave your mom.

[fortyfeetunder]

24. That's right, a class act indeed.

He has always stuck to his values and preached an honest line.