Carter's Malaise Speech

The threat is a crisis of confidence...We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of a unity of purpose for our nation...The erosion of our confidence in the future is threatening to destroy the social and the political fabric of America…For the first time in the history of our country a majority of our people believe that the next five years will be worse than the past five years...The productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world...There is a growing disrespect for government and for churches and for schools, the news media, and other institutions...These changes did not happen overnight. They’ve come upon us gradually over the last generation, years that were filled with shocks and tragedy…We are at a turning point in our history. There are two paths to choose...