People Power - It Really Exists

In an episode of “The West Wing” TV series, Aaron Sorkin has the President (played by Martin Sheen) saying to a newly appointed aide:

“There’s a promise I ask everyone who works here to make:

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful and committed citizens can change the world . Do you know why?”

He answered, “It’s the only thing that ever has.”

It’s true. And it’s nice to remember the small group of early Americans who met in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation and wound up writing a new constitution of the United States of America.

In a nation of over 300 million people one might consider a congress of 535 people a small group. They are undoubtedly thoughtful but we can’t be sure what they are all committed to; certainly not all the same things.

More specific subjects need to be focused on by those with direct interests in the subject. For example, look at the small group that created the New York World’s Fair in 1964-65.
Robert Kopple, Attorney and Entrepreneur, conferred with then-Mayor Robert Wagner of New York City to designate a date in 1964 to celebrate the tercentennial (1664) of the City. Kopple, a resident of Roslyn, Long Island, rode the railroad to the City every day and often noticed the train went through the grounds of the former New York World’s Fair of 1939-40. Why not another World’s fair at the time of the tercentennial?

Short story – He organized the new fair and the Lorson companies assisted in the development and management of the Fair.

Along energy lines, Kopple noted in the 1950’s that New York commercial realtors were having trouble with constantly increasing electric rates of Con Edison. The Real Estate Board at the time had a utility committee whose efforts in behalf of the industry were meager at best.

Kopple organized the Owner’s Committee on Electric Rates, Inc. which took on the business of representing the industry in the public hearings before the Public Service Commission dealing with Con Edison electric rate increase requests. He obtained the legal services of former-NY Governor Charles Polletti and with David Kosh of Washington DC won a considerable number of victories over the utility saving the consumers many, many millions of dollars during its time. Several members of the Lorson group were among the directors of the Committee.

At the start of each of these efforts a small group of dedicated and thoughtful people determined the need for action and put themselves and their reputations to work to effect change where change was clearly needed.

What are needed now are more groups of thoughtful and committed people to become involved in the energy processes as they exist and as they need to be changed.

Do you know anyone?