On 15 July 1979, Jimmy Carter delivered his infamous “malaise speech” in which he actually never used the word “malaise.” It was more properly dubbed the “Crisis of Confidence speech.” He addressed the nation that day via television and in the address discussed the ongoing energy crisis and recession. Carter expressed his thought that the underlying cause of the economic crisis was a lack of “moral and spiritual confidence.” To his credit (and believe me I cringe when I write that because I don’t think he deserves credit for much of anything) he admitted that part of the problem (a small part in his mind) was his failure to provide strong leadership on several issues, including mainly energy and fuel policies. He then went on, however, to attack the American way of life by claiming that Americans’ obsession with consumerism and materialism had overridden spiritualism and community values. He implored the nation to have faith in the future of America and to strive to reclaim their unity of purpose so that we could “seize control again of our common destiny.” He then moved on to propose some serious government interference in the oil free market including mandatory conservation efforts for individuals and businesses, import quotas and a "massive commitment of funds and resources" to develop alternative fuel sources including coal, plant products and solar power. Does any of this sound familiar? Seems like once again we are “mired in a crisis of confidence.” Why is it that so-called progressives always place the blame elsewhere and then prescribe more government interference to cure economic problems. Ronald Reagan defeated Carter the following year in part because he reminded all of us that the government was not the solution to the problem, it was the problem. We sure could use another man (or woman) like Reagan right about now.
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