Nation Honors President Jimmy Carter’s Legacy at Washington National Cathedral

President Jimmy Carter was honored on Thursday at the Washington National Cathedral, where Presidents Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and President-elect Donald Trump attended.

Looking back, President Carter's life was marked by a long and charitable existence. During his presidency, the nation faced numerous many challenges, particularly the dreaded combination of high inflation and unemployment, AKA stagflation. Despite some setbacks alongside then-FED Chairman Paul Volcker, Carter's administration implemented a strict monetary policy to combat inflation. While the aggressive measures caused temporary economic pain, they ultimately broke the cycle of stagflation.

He expanded investments in telecommunications, computing, and aerospace industries and established the Department of Energy (DOE) in 1977 to address the nation's growing energy challenges, including the 1973 oil crisis and subsequent energy shortages.

He also went on a deregulatory crusade in the late 1970s to fundamentally restructure America's transportation sector through landmark legislation targeting airlines, trucking, and rail. The 1978 Airline Deregulation Act and subsequent 1980 reforms in trucking and rail freight dismantled decades of federal controls, unleashing market forces that slashed consumer costs while catalyzing operational efficiencies that still shape these industries today.

Carter implemented tax policies to reduce the burden on middle- and low-income families while increasing taxes on the wealthiest Americans. To quote the late great President Jimmy Carter, "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 and consuming things does not satisfy our longing for meaning."

His four children survive Jimmy Carter - John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff), and Amy Lynn1. He also leaves behind 11 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren4. His wife, Rosalynn Carter, to whom he was married for 77 years, preceded him in death on November 19, 2023, at age 96.