Its the little things...

Michael Maniates has a good point in his article, the easy way isn't going to cut it. It's a point that certainly holds true, changing a lightbulb won't reverse global warming. However I think that through his article he gives the average people too much credit. When comprehensive climate reform occurs it won't be enacted by the common people it will come down from the top and it will make many people angry.

He references notable figures in history, Paul Revere (who did actually only 1/40th of the work on his famous night), Martin Luther King and FDR. None of these men can be called the average American (one lived before America existed but thats not the point). These were men who could have taken the easy way out and chose not to do so. The American people are asking what they can do and are choosing to do the easiest of choices.

It doesn't matter how many "It's Easy Being Green's" are published if the American public decides to do more. The fact of the matter is that America just doesn't want it enough, they are satisfied doing the little that they are being asked to do. Maniates writes "Rather, it's that when Americans ask, "What can I do to make a difference?" we're treated like children by environmental elites and political leaders too timid to call forth the best in us or too blind to that which has made us a great nation." Maniates almost hits the nail on the head here, American's won't do the big jobs until it is forced upon them, it happened with the clean air act, it happened with segregation and it is going to happen with climate change.

In the middle of his article he writes "Never has so little been asked of so many at such a critical moment." But what he should have written is

Never has so little been asked of so many at such a critical moment and never have so many been happy to give that little.