President of the U.S., 1977-1981; Former Democratic Governor (GA)
1978: Government cannot mandate goodness
Who said the following? "Government cannot solve our problems, it can't set our goals. It cannot define our vision. Government cannot eliminate poverty or provide a bountiful economy or reduce inflation or save our cities or cure illiteracy or provide
energy. And government cannot mandate goodness."
Ronald Reagan? No, those were the words of President Jimmy Carter, in his 1978 State if the Union address. And who said this?
"We know big government does not have all the answers. We know there's not
program for every problem. We have worked to give the American people a smaller, less bureaucratic government in Washington. And we have to give the American people one that lives within its means. The era of big government is over."
George W. Bush? Actually, that was Bill Clinton, in his State of the Union address, in January 1996. Clinton added with pride, "Today our federal government is 200,000 employees smaller than it was the day I took office as President."
Created Depts. of Energy & Education; reformed civil service
Other domestic accomplishments included approval of the Carter plan to overhaul the civil-service system, making it easier to fire incompetents; creation of new departments of education and energy;
deregulation of the airlines to stimulate competition and lower fares; and environmental efforts that included passage of a law preserving vast wilderness areas of Alaska.
Source: Grolier’s Encyclopedia, “The Presidency”
, Dec 25, 2000
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