Independent And Sustainable FTW
- In the final section of the debate, President Carter provides some specific policy proposals to go along with his "tough it out" rhetoric in section three.
- These proposals emphasize specific steps the U.S. can take to achieve energy independence.
- Main Idea #1—Use Less Foreign Oil: Carter vows to never again import as much foreign oil as the country did in 1977, and to set limits on the amount of oil that can be imported into the country.
- Main Idea #2—Develop Domestic Sources of Energy: Carter encouraged the nation to develop its own reserves of energy, especially from coal. And while we don't know if Carter was a Beatles fan, he must have been singing, "Here Comes the Sun" in his proposal to find greener energy sources, such as wind and solar energy.
- Main Idea #3—Change Current Habits: Carter asks everyone, from energy companies to private citizens, to use less, drive less, and waste less in the bid to need less oil and gas.
- Jimmy Carter goes as far as to call the energy crisis the great challenge of his generation, and views the combination of mental (see Section Three) and policy (see Section Four) changes as the key to turning around America's struggling fortunes, and to solving America's crisis of confidence (see Section Two).