Reed Duecy-GibbsFeb 20, 2023
Indy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿
In 1979 Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof. In the 80s' Ronald Reagan removed them.
Carter wanted renewables to generate 20% of U.S. energy needs by 2000. When Reagan was elected he scrapped the policy, eliminating tax breaks for renewable technologies in favour of oil and gas. Today the US produces just 7% of its energy from renewables, the majority from hydroelectric schemes.
A massive wasted opportunity which we and future generations will pay for.
#climatechange
Feb 19, 2023 at 4:11pmWeb
Show thread🪻Gigi_Bean🪻Feb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard
He was one of the most memorable and admirable Presidents in my lifetime.
Show threadCT 🌈✊🏾🌹Feb 20, 2023
@Gigi_QueenOfNuttin @IndyRichard what
Show threadt o d d w a r n e rFeb 21, 2023
@Gigi_QueenOfNuttin @IndyRichard Definitely memorable. Heh.
Show threadGrandpa DonFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard
having been raised a Republican back in the days of "I like Ike" by two people whose fathers were staunch republicans back in the days of TR, I was sceptical of Jimmy. I voted Ford but Jimmy won me over and I have voted Democrat ever since. Carter was a thought leader whom the right wing chewed up with complicity of the beltway press. Much as a good man who had the right ideas but threatened the oligarchs gave us trump, Carter's noble effort gave us Reagan.
Show threadDyke on her BikeFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard
And in 2000 we had a Democratic candidate whose primary concern was Climate Change and addressing it, but he wasn't a great candidate and didn't inspire enough people and the Left stayed home.
Yeah, the SCOTUS made the decision and it was wrong, but if the Left had gotten off their uninspired asses and voted, the SCOTUS wouldn't have been involved.
#ClimateChange
Show threadBathsheba BlueFeb 19, 2023

@IndyRichard

Yep. He warns us about climate change and tried to make changes to address it.

And if the press doesn’t start mentioning some of his policies and not just his volunteerism, I’m going to scream.

Eg he was the first to advocate for Human Rights at home and abroad, proposed voting rights / electoral reform, established the depts of education and energy, and implemented tough policies against the ussr.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jun/14/1977-us-presidential-memo-predicted-climate-change

The 1977 White House climate memo that should have changed the world

Years before the climate crisis was part of national discourse, this memo to the president predicted catastrophe

The Guardian
Show threadcaseyjonesedFeb 20, 2023
@inklings @IndyRichard Peace between Egypt and Israel!!!
Show threadBathsheba BlueFeb 20, 2023

@caseyjonesed @IndyRichard

YES!! For which he won the Nobel peace prize.

Show threadCaseyLFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard I look back at where things were going during Carter's Presidency (many social policies as well as enviro policy), and how Reagan did a 180 on all of them, and it makes me so damned angry, still.
That Reagan is still revered also enrages me.
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 19, 2023
@CaseyL I get what you say.The right wing media pump out story that Reagan was visionary. We get exactly same attitude about Maggie Thatcher in the UK.
I can imagine a possible reason for this. If history is constantly being re-written so that even bad leaders seem like they were misunderstood or were actually good leaders, does this make it more likely that people might embrace the same ideas and elect yet another right wing darling?
Show threadMikhail GarberFeb 19, 2023
Opportunity to miss the biggest economic and political gains ever US experienced under Reagan.
Show threadDancingwiththebelovedFeb 19, 2023
@mikhail while economic advances are important IF everyone, generally, benefits, the downside is that rarely is that the case. Reagan's policies exacerbated the wealth stratification of this country. So even his economic policies have exacted a terrible price for which we're still paying. Social unrest arising from this stratification has immeasurable costs. Capital inefficiencies arising from this stratification are virtually indefinable but almost certainly affecting every part of our society.
Show threadBathsheba BlueFeb 19, 2023

@mikhail

Sorry that’s not close to being true. Pls stop using your Republican Reagan Bible as a reference.

Show threadMab_813Feb 19, 2023

@IndyRichard

I heard about the same story today, I just want to add that the 7% statistics is from 2010 and outdated - The USA have made progress in the last 12 years and that figure is now higher.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/carter-white-house-solar-panel-array/

Where Did the Carter White House's Solar Panels Go?

One of the 32 solar-thermal panels that captured energy on the roof of the White House more than 30 years ago landed this week at a science museum in China

Scientific American
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 19, 2023
@Mab_813 Ahh ok thankyou. I found that figure in Scientific American from 2010. So yes I get that it might be outdated now.
Show threadenmodo ⚛️ 🧬 🇺🇦 🍉Feb 19, 2023

@IndyRichard exactly. Time and time again Republican backwards thinking protecting the status quo and old money wealthy elite and corporations have kept America in the dark ages. We are decades behind where we could have been and generations will pay for it with increasing wealth disparity and declining standards of living, longevity, and happiness.

I feel privileged to have participated in a few Habitat for Humanity builds. It's something everyone should try at least once.

Show threadgavinisdie Feb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard literally no reason to remove them, Reagan was weird
Show threadDave NFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard Reagan was one of the world's biggest eco-terrorists as well as being responsible for bringing about the largest disparity between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' in modern US history. I hope history will judge him accordingly
Show threada.d. 🗽🇺🇸Feb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard My dad wasn’t a fan of Reagan and I couldn’t understand why. Moi being one of those Reagan kids. After reading that toot I can see why Reagan had it all wrong. #PresidentCarter was a visionary. #JimmyCarter
Show threadDr Susi ArnottFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard And transport: remembering long-distance buses bearing the slogan "Jimmy Carter thanks you for Going Greyhound"
Show threadJanere tooFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard Thankyou republicans - again! This is sarcasm & scorn on you all & your continuing to harbour & promote the ignorant, nasty & sell outs to corporations that do not care for society / planet .
Show threadZelmo ZiggyFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard Carter’s heart was in the right place, but he was an ineffectual president.
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 20, 2023
@ZZiggy Am not American so am not best placed to comment.Maybe you are correct.
I just thought that this idea of the solar panels was a proxy which gives shape to the consequences of the decisions made by business and politicians and how bigger ideas such as neoliberalism and capitalism are seen. I sometimes wonder if many imagine such ideas cannot be challenged. Is this one reason why the world is in such a mess?
Show threadZelmo ZiggyFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard He was right about solar panels, but he was unable to lead Americans to follow his example. Maybe it was an impossible task.
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 20, 2023
@ZZiggy Left wing politicians are seen as a threat. Has anyone stopped to ask themselves why this is the case and who this perceived threat might be towards?
Show threadZelmo ZiggyFeb 22, 2023
@IndyRichard A lot of Americans are convinced that progressive programs will take money from them and give it to someone else, so the perceived threat is to themselves.
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 23, 2023
@ZZiggy How those with vast wealth must chuckle that ordinary people believe such a version of events.
Show threadZelmo ZiggyFeb 23, 2023
@IndyRichard https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/12/opinion/the-triumph-of-hope-over-self-interest.html
Opinion | The Triumph Of Hope Over Self-Interest

David Brooks Op-Ed article on reasons why middle-class voters back Republicans whose tax cuts benefit rich instead of candidates who want to redistribute more wealth down to people like themselves; holds people vote their aspirations, that income resentment is not strong emotion in much of America and that many Americans admire rich; drawing (M)

The New York Times
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 24, 2023
@ZZiggy Sorry doesn't let me read that as there is a paywall.
Show threadZelmo ZiggyFeb 26, 2023
@IndyRichard See if this works. https://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/12/opinion/the-triumph-of-hope-over-self-interest.html?unlocked_article_code=tsuYY4lLpnlbY5RdyMcAUMoJNkr7YSmj5AQN58QDAq6XIsFVyPvqFHuE5j-G9zBmlOP3j8tA297quhRPIO3_myWukU2WQ_BhE-PfpcYE98vhdeOlFMc2zzIVne52vV_GFKrAjnP43ZFCoTLjGk7ch6PSpPeN_kHf4OBYql1FrmIh-mVkRxhFTjFC5a7IIsq43KlWhNM0V7IDiANs_FwT2Ll7F8QKxwPHbErAQy0aZA2aT7dpF_T4oUuGSYitestA3DscaheJq3atKFmO-pZ0UNDVLGr9Iqvaro82m84fz2OLgehPofsTPTsAms6U-AEM5XiyGYqFUyp-IkGgXf1s5pB3J4SpXez0XfShoMd1&smid=url-share
Opinion | The Triumph Of Hope Over Self-Interest

David Brooks Op-Ed article on reasons why middle-class voters back Republicans whose tax cuts benefit rich instead of candidates who want to redistribute more wealth down to people like themselves; holds people vote their aspirations, that income resentment is not strong emotion in much of America and that many Americans admire rich; drawing (M)

The New York Times
Show threadIndy Richard 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Feb 26, 2023
@ZZiggy Many thanks for finding that for me. Slightly sad to me that 19% of Americans imagine they are in the1% of the wealthiest people. Reminds me of a survey asking about driving skills and almost everyone who took part imagines they a better than average driver.
Show threadRickFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard Ugh, Reagan really fucked us.
Show threadgmokeFeb 19, 2023

@IndyRichard USAmerica produces over 20% of its energy from renewables these days. USAmerica in 1979 was getting about 7-8% from hydro. You need to check your figures although your point about Carter versus Reagan is accurate

More at http://solarray.blogspot.com/2019/07/old-solar-jimmy-carters-1979-green-deal.html

solarray: Old Solar: Jimmy Carter's 1979 Green Deal

Show threadxs4me2Feb 19, 2023

@IndyRichard

And beyond that Reaganomics broke much more than that…

Show threadTheBlarggFeb 19, 2023
@IndyRichard reason 1,000,000 why Reagan was a fucking horrible president and person
Show threadDrBob, 🧠 MechanicFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard Reagan was a scumbag. He’s responsible for taxing our Social Security benefits to pay for tax cuts to the wealthy. Now we have a bunch of billionaires telling us what to do. Reprehensible!
Show threadLuke KaniesFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard @mmasnick Reagan is why we don’t lead on solar, even though our government paid for all the research to invent the tech
Show threadKevinFeb 20, 2023

@IndyRichard @mmasnick The US is at 20% renewables today? 9% of it wind, hydro at 6%.

Reagan is still shit, but your numbers seem off.

https://www.energy.gov/eere/renewable-energy

Renewable Energy

EERE's applied research, development, and demonstration activities aim to make renewable energy cost-competitive with traditional sources of energy. Learn more about EERE's work in geothermal, solar, wind, and water power.

Energy.gov
Show threadtheseegeFeb 21, 2023

@kevin @IndyRichard @mmasnick

Indeed. Wind and solar are creeping towards dominance, representing the majority of new capacity coming online in 2023. I think the sentiment stands nonetheless, that we lost precious decades.

https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/pdf/steo_full.pdf

Show threadKevinFeb 21, 2023
@TheSeege @IndyRichard @mmasnick absolutely. Almost all the growth has been in the last 5 to 10 years, should've started decades ago.
Show threadThoriumFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard Reagan set the treasonous tone for all the Republicans that followed him. Clearly, one of the worst presidents in history...until T-rump showed how bad a president could be.
Show threadJulio 🏳️‍🌈 🇨🇺 🇪🇸 🇺🇸Feb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard The movie star had the smile and it won people's hearts.
Show threadc3141mtdFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard Reagan replaced capitalism with neofuedalism. He was the one who promulgated the idea of the "shareholder theory of value" and paved the way through deregulation for all the parasitic hedge funds and private equity that dominate the economy today. Prior to Reagan, and to a lesser extent Nixon, this country was headed in the right direction. Reagan ended decades of successful Keynesian economic policies in favor of creating the second gilded age.
Show threadc3141mtdFeb 20, 2023

@IndyRichard

FYI, if you want to learn more about financialization and how Reagan trashed the economy, Michael Hudson is a great resource.

https://youtu.be/4zYihqqGB-g

Michael Hudson: Finance Capitalism vs. Industrial Capitalism

YouTube
Show threadLeslieCFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard it’s sad and hard to think how much better the world would be if that capitalist puppet Reagan had not been elected. Can you imagine if the people of the USA hadn’t fallen for the propaganda campaign of big oil and actually accomplished Carter’s goal? Reaganomics and what has followed is killing the Earth. Who knows how else it may have turned out ?
Show threadMJ LeeFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard My hubby says those White House panels were manufactured by Arco Solar (yes, the oil company), which was the largest solar panel producer in the country. Hubby was at Arco at the time.
Show threadInvincible_Fall in meFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard a bloody shame!
Show threadharveenFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard If you blamed everything bad that’s happened and is happening in the US on Reagan, you’d be right more often than you’d be wrong.
#justsayin
Show threadShannon KayFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard I know my grandfather put solar panels on his roof in the late 1970's. I wonder if the White House getting them was a contributing factor.
Show threadKatragsFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard
If you voted for Reagan, you are part of the reason we are in this mess.
Show threadJeff CraigFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard While your broad point is mostly correct, as a matter of fact wind is out producing hydroelectric these days based on EIA numbers, and solar is roughly on par: https://www.eia.gov/electricity/data/browser/
Electricity Data Browser

Electricity Data Browser

Show threadSteve GaleFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard Reagan removing those solar panels was the original owning the Libs. He did it purely out of spite.
Show threadOlafWipperFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard Saint Ronnie was NO SAINT.
Show threadSheila DeBonisFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard The more I learn about the Reagan presidency, the less I like him. He's the reason there are conglomerates in almost every industry (media, internet services, telecom, pharma, cosmetics, etc.) as he reregulated corporate growth. He's also the reason nonprofit fundraising is so egregious now since he revised the tax code so 501(c)3 orgs get a lot less money from the federal government. Didn't know he hated solar energy too.
Show threadJoanna CzechowskaFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard The world would be a better place if Carter had won a second term. Americans can't recognise a truly good man.
Show threadLassielmrFeb 20, 2023
@JoCzechowska @IndyRichard suppose you could say he at least was able to use his term in office to springboard him into doing great things in life post the Presidency. A truely humble person. Still lives in the 2 bed house he build himself in 1960, most money gained from public events has been donated to good causes. The SUV used by those to protect him is worth more than his home.
Show threadPaul BrownjohnFeb 20, 2023

@IndyRichard

Yes, Reagan is remembered with great affection by the majority of Americans whereas in reality he was an extreme right-wing dickheaded bigot who, by his second term, had completely lost his marbles to Dementia. Carter on the other hand was a wonderful POTUS but he is spoken of contemptuously by most Americans because the US military completely screwed up the US embassy hostage rescue in Iran which was, in fact, fükced up by internal rivalries within the US military! There was nothing wrong with the plan itself nor indeed with the executive decision making by the POTUS!

Show threadrpdavisFeb 20, 2023

@IndyRichard @mmasnick

US generates about 20% of its energy from renewables. About 6.5% from hydro. https://www.energy.gov/eere/renewable-energy

Renewable Energy

EERE's applied research, development, and demonstration activities aim to make renewable energy cost-competitive with traditional sources of energy. Learn more about EERE's work in geothermal, solar, wind, and water power.

Energy.gov
Show threadJustin FarrimondFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard Coming to this debate late (by the way, some great comments re Reagan) but all I wanted to add was my fears re the environment and the confected culture wars. Why is it that fears for the environment are now considered 'woke' and that advocating for measures to protect the planet are seen as the preserve of left wing politics? Self harm good, cooperative compassion bad? We really are in a mess.
Show threadFubarrockchickFeb 20, 2023
@IndyRichard I love Jimmy, amazing guy, with a kindness even in his eyes ❤️