On Feb. 2, 1977, President Jimmy Carter addressed the nation from the White House. He had been in office for two weeks and inflation was already beginning to impact American families. Famously wearing a cardigan sweater, he said energy shortages would be permanent while urging Americans to lower their thermostats to 55 degrees and make sacrifices. This address was followed by several years of hyperinflation, gas lines, and as President Carter called it, “a crisis of confidence.” By 1980, America was fed up and sent an eternal optimist and problem solver to the White House. President Ronald Reagan didn’t accept…