jimmy carter

I'm here and all ears.

My fellow citizens, esteemed guests, and friends from around the world, I stand before you today, humbled and honored, as we gather to witness the peaceful transition of power, a cornerstone of our great democracy. This moment is not about me, but about us, about the collective will of the people, and the shared dreams that bind us together as one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

As I take on the mantle of leadership, I am reminded of the words of the great Abraham Lincoln, who, in his inaugural address, spoke of the "mystic chords of memory" that connect us to our forebears, who, through their sacrifices and struggles, have bequeathed to us the priceless gift of freedom. In this spirit, I stand before you today, not as a savior or a messiah, but as a fellow citizen, ready to serve, to listen, and to learn from you, the people I am sworn to represent.

Our journey will not be easy, for we are a nation divided, riven by deep and seemingly intractable problems that threaten to tear us apart. But I believe that we can and must rise above our differences, for we are all Americans, and our shared destiny is greater than any one of us. Together, we shall forge a brighter future, a future where every man, woman, and child can enjoy the blessings of liberty, and the opportunity to pursue their dreams, unencumbered by the shackles of poverty, ignorance, or prejudice.

We must begin by acknowledging the plain truth: that we are a nation at war, not with a foreign enemy, but with ourselves. The divisions that plague us are not only political or ideological, but also economic, social, and cultural. We have allowed the twin scourges of income inequality and political polarization to corrode the foundations of our democracy, to the point where we no longer see each other as fellow

But as your president, I refuse to accept this bleak vision of our future. I refuse to believe that we are doomed to a future of perpetual conflict, where the bonds of our union are stretched to the breaking point. I believe that we can and must come together, not in spite of our differences, but because of them, for it is our diversity that has always been our greatest strength.

As we embark on this journey of healing and renewal, we must first and foremost reaffirm our commitment to the fundamental principles that define us as a nation: the rule of law, the protection of individual rights, and the conviction that all men and women are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

We must also recognize that these principles are not self-executing, but require our constant vigilance, our active engagement, and our unwavering commitment to justice and fairness. In the words of the great abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass, "If there is no struggle, there is no progress." We must therefore be prepared to struggle, to fight for the values and ideals that we hold dear, and to defend them against all who would seek to undermine or destroy them.

One of the greatest struggles of our time is the fight for economic opportunity and social mobility. For too long, the fruits of our nation's prosperity have been enjoyed by a privileged few, while the many have been left to languish in the shadows of poverty and despair. We must commit ourselves to building an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy and the well-connected, and to ensuring that every American has access to the tools and resources they need to succeed in the 21st century.

This means investing in our crumbling infrastructure, which is not only a threat to our economic competitiveness, but also to the health and safety of our citizens. It means providing affordable, quality education and job training for all, so that our people can acquire the skills they need to compete in a rapidly changing global economy. And it means reforming our broken immigration system, so that we can attract the best and the brightest from around the world, and provide a path to citizenship for those who are already contributing to our society.

But our commitment to economic opportunity must also be accompanied by a renewed commitment to social justice and equality, for we cannot truly be free if we are not free