Jimmy And Rosalynn Carter's Simple Lives Are A Tribute To True US Values

Dec 05, 2019 by apost team

As the years have gone by, Jimmy and Roselyn Carter have demonstrated that they are two of America's national treasures. No American president has done as much as Jimmy Carter to give to the community after leaving presidential office. Some people poked fun at the first couple when they were in the White House for being "small-towners," but they still returned to their home in Georgia after Jimmy completed his four-year stint in the oval office from 1977 to 1981.

Carter has been helping his local community in Georgia ever since he returned. Through Jimmy's efforts of founding the Carter Foundation and its many accomplishments, President Carter was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for humanitarian work in 2002, as reported here at CNN.

Currently aged 95, Jimmy has lived longer than any President in U.S. history. George H.W. Bush was a close contender when he passed away at age 94. Jimmy and Roselyn have been married for 73 years, and Jimmy believes their longevity is due to the caring and devoted nature of his loving spouse. He revealed that Roselyn has helped him maintain his interest for participating in life.

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One of Carter's favorite bits of wisdom comes from Jesus in his advice to use your talent for the benefit of others. The Carters help a number of causes via their foundation, including human rights advocacy, resolving conflicts and improving living conditions for impoverished and disadvantaged people. The Carters have mediated in conflicts that have taken place in many different countries all over the planet. The couple regularly travels to Africa to oversee the work being done there by their foundation.

One of the couple's greatest achievements was to help eliminate the guinea worm that caused a debilitating contagion in many parts of Asia and Africa. In 1986, over 3.5 million people were stricken with the disease. The couple has also helped build over 4,000 homes through their work with Habitat for Humanity.

Roselyn and Jimmy still live in the home that they built in 1961. Jimmy stated that there is no other place he could consider living than his home state of Georgia, and he enjoys living a simple life. He could be viewed as the complete opposite of Donald Trump. Jimmy instructed staff not to play "Hail to the Chief" when he would enter a venue, even though it was a tradition that had been in place for over a century. He did this only a few days after a federal judge told Trump that he was not a king when he refused to appear at a congressional hearing after being subpoenaed.

When Jimmy took his oath of office, he wore a $175 suit that was made in Georgia, and he doesn't like people to refer to him as President. Unlike Melania, Roselyn often reused dresses she had worn for years, while Trump's wife wears designer dresses that have price tags that exceed $50,000. Carter promised to reduce the luxury spending of the White House, and he sold the presidential yacht. Some people responded to Carter's actions as being too "folksy." While Trump maintains his real estate empire, Carter relinquished his duties of running his peanut farm while he was president.

Trump has the audacity to claim that climate change is a hoax, and, it comes as no surprise that Carter acknowledged the problem decades before it began to hold an important place in the media news spotlight. Carter urged people to take all actions that they could to reduce their carbon footprint, even if they had to forego taking vacation trips and reduce the comfort of their homes to save energy. Carter called this an act of patriotism and common sense.

Do you admire the simple and selfless lifestyle that the Carter family has lived throughout their long marriage? Let us know in the comments, and pass this story on to your friends.