4 A
❘
SATURDAY EDITION
❘ APRIL 21, 2018
Siuslaw News
P.O. Box 10
Florence, OR 97439
NED HICKSON , EDITOR
Opinion
❘ 541-902-3520 ❘
NHICKSON @ THESIUSLAWNEWS . COM
The First Amendment
C
ongress shall make no law respecting an estab-
lishment of religion or prohibiting the free exer-
cise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of
the press, or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a
redress of grievances.
“I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.” —Thomas Jefferson (1800)
Taking care of our Earth is common sense
(Editor’s Note: Viewpoint submis-
sions on this and other topics are
always welcome as part of our goal
to encourage community discussion
and exchange of perspectives.)
Lately, I have been very encour-
aged by the millennial generation and
younger people I have spoken with. Their
passion and outspokenness on many
important issues has been inspiring, espe-
cially their attitude that protecting the
environment is a matter of common
sense.
This is not about global warming. This
is about the human race being responsible
for the environmental footprint it leaves
on the planet.
When I was 16 years old, my political
science teacher organized a small group
of 22 students who marched in Hartford,
Conn., on the first Earth Day in 1970.
We marched to raise awareness of the
damage that mankind was doing to the
environment. Thirty-eight years later,
Earth Day has grown into the largest
civic observance in the world, with more
then 1 billion people participating in
activities.
Ever since my first march, I have been
an advocate for common sense solutions
to minimize the impact we make on our
planet as a human race. Over the years,
we have made progress in reversing acid
rain, minimized the impacts of air pollu-
tion and have developed recycling pro-
grams for metals, glass, paper, cardboard
and electronics.
Oregon was even the first state to
implement a return deposit program for
cans and bottles. Due to this grass roots
effort, there has been a lot of positive
progress since 1970, including the bipar-
tisan passage of the Clean Air, Clean
Water, and Endangered Species Act, as
well as many other groundbreaking envi-
ronmental laws.
GUEST VIEWPOINT
B Y J OSHUA G REENE
F LORENCE C ITY C OUNCILOR
Unfortunately, there is much more
work to be done; we are choking our
planet with plastic.
The plastic problem has become more
urgent lately with China now refusing to
buy our garbage. There are several rea-
sons for this: the price of oil has gone
down substantially, so they can afford to
make their own new plastic products,
negating the need to purchase from other
countries; it is no longer cost effective to
ship the plastic to China.
Another reason cited was our used
plastics were too dirty. We had gotten
complacent and did not properly clean
the containers as needed, simply tossing
used items in the recycling bin like it was
another garbage can.
In 2012, there were 288 million tons of
plastic manufactured globally, with only
10 percent of that being recycled.
National Geographic has identified giant
garbage patches estimated at 245 tons
that have been found floating in the
ocean, creating dire consequences for
more then 700 species of marine life.
So what can we do as individuals and
as a community?
There are small things we can do local-
ly that can have an impact: Take your
own thermal cup when you get a cup of
coffee; fill your own personal water bot-
tle instead of purchasing plastic bottles;
get into the habit of bringing your own
reusable bag when shopping for groceries
(I even have one with collapsible
wheels).
If you do use plastic bags at the gro-
cery store, bring them back. Safeway and
Fred Meyer recycle them.
Also, become aware of items that
are not biodegradable. There are
reusable alternatives for almost every-
thing, even Saran Wrap.
What we ultimately need is a grass
roots outcry where we ask manufac-
turers to put their products in biodegrad-
able or reusable containers, such as a
national campaign to insist manufacturers
of the goods offer their soaps, oils, peanut
butters and shampoos in biodegradable
containers.
We can also institute programs where
reusable or glass containers are brought
to the store for refilling our detergents,
soaps and more.
Become aware and familiar with recy-
cle programs from manufacturers.
Whether it is medical products or ink jet
printer cartridges, many offer recycling
programs.
The
City’s
Environmental
Management Committee (EMAC), as
well as Lane County’s Master Recycler
Program, are great resources for informa-
tion and recycling events happening in
our community.
Tomorrow, April 22, The Siuslaw
Climate Alliance is bringing together
local organizations for Florence’s first
Earth Day on The Boardwalk. It will fea-
ture exhibits and information about polli-
nators and recycling, as well as plastic
pollution. It is a fun and eye opening first
step towards being part of the solution.
It is a family event and good to “teach
your children well.”
The primary culprit is an affluent soci-
ety that prefers the ease of one-use,
throwaway containers and bags.
It ain’t going to be easy to change.
Nobody likes to change, which is why
this problem exists. But it’s up to us to do
something about it — now.
It’s just common sense.
LETTERS
DOJ BUILDING CODE
OPINION MISGUIDED
Opinions by the Oregon DOJ about the
constitutionality of third-party building
inspections have led many small cities to
either face shutting down construction,
having to hire building officials with six-
figure salaries who are unaffordable and
not available, or to sue the state.
HB 4086 was an effort by the House to
mitigate against this effort to undermine a
system that has been working for over 30
years and very efficient.
HB 4086 was flawed and the Senate did
not act on it.
We know that statewide we are facing a
critical shortage of every type of housing
except in the $700,000 and above range.
This bureaucratically major error will shut
down permitting in over 20 coastal and
rural cities and municipalities.
We cannot allow this to happen.
Those of us living in coastal and rural
Oregon are just coming out of the reces-
sion — or for many of us a depression. We
need our leadership to put a halt to this
totally misguided effort until the legisla-
ture can apply some intelligence to the sit-
uation.
The LOC and LCOG have also railed
against this misguided opinion by the DOJ
and the Oregon Building Code Division.
—City Councilor
Ron Preisler
Florence
T HANKFUL FOR W OODBURY
I wanted to take a minute to appreciate
Woody Woodbury, the former owner of
Grocery Outlet, current Florence City
Councilman and champion of the under-
served.
As a vocational rehabilitation coun-
selor, I understand the value of citizens
like Mr. Woodbury to workforce develop-
ment efforts. When the parents of a person
with a cognitive or intellectual disability,
and the person him or herself, understand
the positive impact of working — not just
on the eventual retirement account, but
also in all the other ways it plays an impor-
tant role in a life and a community.
But the hard part of actually working is
finding an employer who will give such an
individual a chance, as well as coach him
or her in collaborating with the family.
The work experience helps those indi-
viduals find their strengths, develop tal-
ents and skills, gain self-confidence and
succeed in general. It’s a very tough equa-
tion to set up and support — which is why
people like Woody are so important to an
inclusive workplace.
My hat is off to you, sir. You’ve touched
a lot of lives in this town.
Thank you.
—Ivy Medow
Florence
T IME FOR A
POSITIVE CHANGE
I’m writing in response to Donna
Dobson’s Letter to the editor in support of
Jay Bozievich (April 11), wherein she
claims the incumbent West Lane County
Commissioner “has the experience to con-
tinue the job as commissioner,” and the
challenger Nora Kent “doesn’t have the
experience with economics in the capacity
the job of commissioner requires.”
I’m confident she may have overlooked
the fact the incumbent had no economic or
government experience, let alone commis-
sioner experience, when first elected.
His background solely consisted of
being an engineer, with no involvement in
working with the community or public.
Kent has a demonstrated successful
record of being a grass roots community
organizer, as well as a first-rate educator,
which should establish in anyone’s eyes
the basic requirement to serve as county
commissioner. The position comes with no
prerequisites other than being honest and
ethical, and being dedicated to following
the rule of law and serving the interests of
the people — Kent has all of these virtues,
desires, commitment and more.
The incumbent has not demonstrated
the ability to serve his constituents other
than, in my opinion, to provide excessive
favoritism to the wealthy timber barons
and other narrow-minded special interest
groups who wish to poison our water, land
and air — and worse yet, undermine the
fundamental principles of our democracy.
This race is about who we The People
want to represent our interests, ideas and
moral values. This race is about sending a
clear message, from the local level, that
representative democracy is alive and well
and will not be suppressed by a few pow-
erful interest groups.
It’s time for a positive change by sup-
porting Nora Kent for West Lane
Commissioner.
—Bill Fleenor
Former West Lane County
Commissioner
L ACK OF EXPERIENCE NOT AN
ASSET FOR BEING COUNTY
COMMISSIONER
I attended the forum on April 6, when
Jay Bozievich and Nora Kent were given
questions selected by a moderator. Kent
advocates change in forest management,
health care and affordable housing.
I did not hear anything about how these
changes would be implemented, or even
what changes would be made.
At what cost? More taxes?
We as Oregonians are already heavily
taxed. Forest practices are now managed
in such a way that revenue is brought into
the county budget.
What would Kent change and how
would it help the county?
One point that seemed to be a priority
for her was getting a gravel road paved in
Deadwood. While I appreciate how it
might cut down on the dust in the
Deadwood neighborhood, I doubt it would
be a high priority for the rest of the district.
Many roads in Lane County require
repairs. Where does she stand regarding
the economy, property tax assessment, the
county budget, our county park mainte-
nance and tax increases?
Before the election, the voters should
know more about Kent’s platform. What,
if any, are her qualifications? Has she ever
managed a budget as large as the County
Commissioner position entails? Many
seem to believe her lack of experience is
an asset.
I do not.
I will be voting for Jay Bozievich. He
has proven himself to be an effective,
skillful, experienced and trustworthy pub-
lic servant.
—Robert Flowerday
Florence
USPS# 497-660
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L ETTERS
TO THE
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E DITOR
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Send letters to:
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WHERE TO WRITE
Pres. Donald Trump
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
NW
Washington, D.C. 20500
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
TTY/TDD Comments:
202-456-6213
www.whitehouse.gov
Gov. Kate Brown
160 State Capitol
900 Court St.
Salem, Ore. 97301-4047
Governor’s Citizens’ Rep.
Message Line:
503-378-4582
www.oregon.gov/gov
U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden
221 Dirksen Senate Office
Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-5244
541-431-0229
www.wyden.senate.gov
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley
313 Hart Senate Office
Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
202-224-3753/FAX: 202-
228-3997
541-465-6750
www.merkley.senate.gov
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio
( 4 th Dist.)
2134 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
202-225-6416
541-269-2609
541-465-6732
www.defazio.house.gov
State Sen. Arnie Roblan
( Dist. 5 )
900 Court St. NE - S-417
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1705
FAX: 503-986-1080
Email: Sen.ArnieRoblan@
oregonlegislature.gov
State Rep. Caddy
McKeown
( Dist. 9 )
900 Court St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-986-1409
Email: rep.caddymckeown
@state.or.us
West Lane County
Commissioner
Jay Bozievich
125 E. Eighth St.
Eugene, OR 97401
541-682-4203
FAX: 541-682-4616
Email:
Jay.Bozievich@
co.lane.or.us