Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter: on Environment


Dwight Eisenhower: Protect 9 million acres on northern shore of Alaska

When statehood came to Alaska, President Dwight Eisenhower realized that there were vast areas of land that needed to be allocated among the state and federal governments, Eskimos and other Native Americans, and some private interests. The House of Representatives was able to address one especially sensitive issue, with legislation recommending that 9 million acres of pristine land along the northern shore of Alaska be protected permanently from any commercial development. When the two Alaska senators blocked Senate action, President Eisenhower accomplished his goal by establishing the Arctic National Wildlife Range "for the purpose of preserving unique wildlife, wilderness and recreational values."
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.164-165 Sep 26, 2006

Jimmy Carter: God gave Man dominion to care for nature

I was born into a Christian family, nurtured as a Southern Baptist, and have been in weekly Bible lessons all my life.

At least one Sunday each year was devoted to protection of the environment, or stewardship of the earth. My father and the other farmers in the congregation would pay close attention to the pastors' sermons, based on such texts as "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." When humans were given domination over the land, water, fish, animals, and all of nature, the emphasis was on careful management and enhancement, not waste or degradation.

Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 16-19 Sep 26, 2006

Jimmy Carter: Agricultural subsidies for families now go to rich farmers

A gross example of subsidizing the wealthy involves my own lifetime profession of farming. Agricultural subsidies were a crucial factor in the survival of many farm families during the Great Depression, and were designed specifically for that purpose. These kinds of subsidies are still justified, but, perhaps not surprisingly, the rich farmers have harvested more federal government subsidies over the years, while poorer families have not. During the last decade, we taxpayers have had to fork over an average of $14 billion annually for subsidies, of which 70% went to just 10% of the farmers, and 25% to the top 1% of recipients. The most fortunate American "farmer" received $7 million in 2002, and in Georgia, 7 "farmers" received annual subsidies of more than $1 million! Thanks to powerful lobbyists, the worthy ideal of helping struggling farm families to survive has been abandoned. The USDA estimated in 2005 that fewer than 25% of farms receive support payments.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.196 Sep 26, 2006

Old Testament: God gave Man dominion over nature to manage, not to waste

I was born into a Christian family, nurtured as a Southern Baptist, and have been in weekly Bible lessons all my life.

At least one Sunday each year was devoted to protection of the environment, or stewardship of the earth. My father and the other farmers in the congregation would pay close attention to the pastors' sermons, based on such texts as "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." When humans were given domination over the land, water, fish, animals, and all of nature, the emphasis was on careful management and enhancement, not waste or degradation.

Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 16-19 Sep 26, 2006

  • The above quotations are from Our Endangered Values:
    America's Moral Crisis    ,
    by Jimmy Carter    .
  • Click here for definitions & background information on Environment.
  • Click here for other issues (main summary page).
  • Click here for more quotes by Jimmy Carter on Environment.
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2016 Presidential contenders on Environment:
  Republicans:
Amb.John Bolton(MD)
Gov.Jeb Bush(FL)
Dr.Ben Carson(MD)
Gov.Chris Christie(NJ)
Sen.Ted Cruz(TX)
Carly Fiorina(CA)
Sen.Lindsey Graham(SC)
Gov.Mike Huckabee(AR)
Gov.Jon Huntsman(UT)
Gov.Bobby Jindal(LA)
Gov.John Kasich(OH)
Rep.Peter King(NY)
Gov.Sarah Palin(AK)
Sen.Rand Paul(KY)
Gov.Rick Perry(TX)
Sen.Rob Portman(OH)
Secy.Condi Rice(CA)
Sen.Marco Rubio(FL)
Rep.Paul Ryan(WI)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA)
Gov.Scott Walker(WI) 		Democrats:
Gov.Lincoln Chafee(RI)
Secy.Hillary Clinton(NY)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE)
Gov.Andrew Cuomo(NY)
Mayor Rahm Emanuel(IL)
Gov.Martin O`Malley(MD)
Sen.Bernie Sanders(VT)
Gov.Brian Schweitzer(MT)
Dr.Jill Stein(MA)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren(MA)
Sen.Jim Webb(VA)

2016 Third Party Candidates:
Mayor Michael Bloomberg(I-NYC)
Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM)
Donald Trump(NY)
Gov.Jesse Ventura(I-MN)
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