Ruth Ashby is a resident of Lincoln.
Everyone who does their job to the best of their ability deserves a “thank-you,” no matter how well they do that job. We each bring our own talents and shortcomings to our work. We tend to forget this fact when it comes to our presidents. Like the rest of us, none of them is perfect. Unlike the rest of us, history will judge them, usually in a different light from those who lived during their terms in office.
We mourn the loss of one of those presidents. I remember when Jimmy Carter was in office. My husband and I were trying to buy our first house, using his Veterans Affairs loan entitlements. At that time, there were a lot of hoops to jump through, and the whole process took a minimum of three months. By the time we closed on our property, the interest rate had jumped from a barely affordable 7% to a very difficult-to-pay 14%. I realize now that it was not President Carter’s fault, but at the time, I thought he was the worst president ever to hold office. I couldn’t wait to go to the polls to vote him out. Today, we know that Jimmy Carter was one of the greatest humanitarians ever to bless our country.
Anyone in our state who traverses our Del. 1 highway in Sussex County has probably seen the large sign in a front yard on the southbound side. The sign was installed after the 2020 election, and it simply says, “Thank you, Mr. Trump.” Unlike a lot of other politically motivated signs we often see, we have to admit that this one has good taste because everyone who does their job to the best of their ability deserves a “thank-you.”
Now that Joe Biden has left office, I want to thank him for completing his term “do(ing) what’s right” to the best of his ability in what might be the most difficult job in the entire world. Like Carter and Trump, and all the other presidents before him, he will be judged by history. When the current economic stress has been relieved, it should be easier to appreciate everything that he accomplished or tried to accomplish in office.
To our new president, I pray that history will remember you in a good way for the many beneficial things that you will (hopefully) do with the power entrusted to you. However, as George Santayana so wisely said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Remember that all autocrats eventually fall from power, and it is through the people that democracy works best. We hope that we will not regret handing you the reins.
Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org.
