Mr. President, I rise today to recognize President Jimmy Carter on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The people of Nevada elected me to the U.S. House in 1982, so I arrived in Congress after…
Mr. President, I rise today to recognize President Jimmy Carter on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
The people of Nevada elected me to the U.S. House in 1982, so I arrived in Congress after President Carter had already left the White House. I did not have a chance to work with him.
But I have had, and I continue to have the pleasure of observing his great leadership on many important projects and issues.
What I admire most about President Carter is that he has never forgotten where he came from. Jimmy Carter was brought up on his family's peanut farm outside the small town of Plains, GA. His family home lacked electricity and indoor plumbing.
He is a product of the American dream, ascending from the red clay fields of Georgia to the most powerful office in the world.
I have heard a story that when he told his mother he was going to run for President, she replied, ``President of what?''
After graduating as valedictorian of his high school class, a young Jimmy Carter enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated in 1946 in the top tenth of his class, and signed on as an officer under the tough but inspirational Captain Hyman Rickover in the Navy's first experimental nuclear submarine.
Due to his service, a submarine was named for him: The USS Jimmy Carter. This is one of the very few US Navy vessels to be named for a person still alive at the time of the commissioning.
President Carter's presidency was distinguished by his strong commitment to human rights in the world, and his commitment to justice and protection of the environment at home.
As the governor of Georgia, he had reorganized the State government to make it more responsive to the needs of the people. He did the same thing as president, separating the Department of Health, Education and Welfare into the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services. He also recognized the importance of establishing a strong national energy policy by creating a new cabinet-level department, the United States Department of Energy.
The Carter administration's foreign policy is best remembered for the peace treaty he brokered between the states of Israel and Egypt with the Camp David Accord. The unfortunate assassination of President Sadat only underscored the deep-seated animosity in that part of the world, which made this agreement so remarkable.
He also brokered the SALT II treaty with the Soviet Union to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons. At the same time, he aggressively developed weapons systems like cruise missiles and stealth bombers, which are still a vital part of our military arsenal.
Since leaving the White House, Jimmy Carter has redefined the role of an ex-President, using his status and standing to mediate for peace and fight disease worldwide.
He has been involved in a number of public policy, human rights, and charitable causes. His work in international public policy and conflict resolution is largely through the Carter Center, which also focuses on worldwide health care and includes a campaign to eliminate guinea worm disease.
Outside of the Carter Center, President Carter conducts diplomatic missions as an elder statesman. In 2002 the Nobel committee recognized his efforts at Camp David and the accomplishments of his post- presidency by awarding him the Nobel Peace Prize.
In addition to promoting peace and human rights through the world, President Carter has been involved with the non-profit group Habitat for Humanity since 1984.
Habitat is an ecumenical Christian housing ministry dedicated to eliminating substandard housing. Habitat volunteers have built more than 100,000 houses worldwide, providing decent and affordable homes for grateful families, including some in my home State of Nevada.
Unlike some public figures who support good causes merely by lending their name, President Carter gives his sweat to Habitat for Humanity. He hammers nails and cuts boards. Each year he leads a work project, and he and his wife Rosalyn donate a week of their time to this wonderful cause.
The late educator Booker T. Washington once said, ``There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.''
President Carter's life has been a testament to the latter. The value of his life's work cannot be measured or quantified by the years he served as President, but by the scope of all his deeds, political as well as humanitarian.
I have visited the President at his home in Plains. I have attended his Sunday School class. I am honored to have served as his Nevada finance chairman when he ran for President. President Carter is my friend, for which I am grateful.
President Carter leads by example. Living modestly and decently, he continues to stand up for the weak, the less fortunate, and those whose God-given rights have been denied.
It is my honor to wish the Naval lieutenant, Nobel Prize recipient, and 39th President of our United States, James Earl Carter, a happy 80th birthday.
I have submitted a resolution to commemorate this occasion, and Congressman Lewis has introduced the accompanying resolution in the House. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure.
