Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy have been receiving some harsh criticism over their recent voyage to Japan. Those who question the Reagans’ behavior point to the fact that the couple will receive a cool $2 million for making television and other gala event appearances.

While the Reagans were in Japan, they spoke about trade between the two countries, and Reagan received praise as being the “symbol of Japanese-American friendship.”

This all seems well and good. Many presidents have remained on the international scene after serving as president, so the idea of Reagan pursuing such a lifestyle is not one that can be completely argued against.

However, when one looks at the prestige and attention paid to such a self-fulfilling media event, one can’t help but ask a few questions.

Jimmy Carter, who was much maligned as president and who lost voter support for his self-admitted deficiences in running a nation, goes virtually ignored in spite of the fact that his contributions to helping the homeless and supervising elections in Central America far outweigh anything Reagan is doing.

It seems strange—and a bit sad—that a man who captured America with the help of teleprompters and speech writers still gets all the attention. No matter how one feels about each man’s presidential reign, it should be recognized that Carter is out there really doing something to assist those who are less fortunate. Reagan, on the other hand, is lining his pockets with cash and having a grand time throwing out pitches at Japanese baseball games.