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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 29, 2020)
A4 OPINION Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, January 29, 2020 Lawmakers shouldn’t rush complex bills O regon legislators will hit the 2020 legislative session on Feb. 3, and while there are already a number of high-profile bills on the horizon, elected leaders should remember that complex legislation can’t be ironed out in a mere 35 days. One key bill apparently on the legislative agenda is a new proposal to slash green- house gas emissions. A sim- ilar bill consumed much of the 2019 session and was eventually allowed to die. The greenhouse gas emis- sion proposal is a good case in point regarding why such bills need to be reviewed during the longer session — set for next year. That’s because it is complex and has the capacity to impact all of Oregon. It isn’t a new occurrence. In the past, complex bills with the potential to make a huge impact on the state have been rolled out during the so-called “short session.” When that happens, the vot- ers get shortchanged. That’s because complicated legisla- tion needs months of review and study. Especially when the legislation is new, as is the case with the current emission proposal. There is all too often a rush by whatever particu- lar interest group is behind a specific initiative to get it OK’d by the Legislature, and then rammed into law. Voters deserve better. They deserve lawmakers that are going to take their time to get it right — not rush to make a judgment on a particular proposal that impacts all of Oregon. Major policy topics need a thorough vetting, not a quick turnaround. Lawmakers should also remember that the work they do is important, so important that voters count on them to make the right decisions. A “right decision” can’t always be made in a mere 35 days. Every legislative ses- sion is important, but the 35-day session that will kick off next month was never designed to be one where wide-sweeping pieces of leg- islation are quickly formed, and then made into law. Lawmakers should go to the 35-day session, get the work that needs to be done finished, and then quickly get out of Salem. Major issues — such as the carbon emission topic — should be shuffled off until the next, longer session where care- ful methodical thought and debate will make it a bet- ter piece of legislation for all Oregonians. WHERE TO WRITE GRANT COUNTY • Grant County Courthouse — 201 S. Humbolt St., Suite 280, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0059. Fax: 541-575-2248. • Canyon City — P.O. Box 276, Canyon City 97820. Phone: 541-575-0509. Fax: 541-575-0515. Email: tocc1862@ centurylink.net. • Dayville — P.O. Box 321, Dayville 97825. Phone: 541-987-2188. Fax: 541- 987-2187. Email:dville@ortelco.net • John Day — 450 E. Main St, John Day, 97845. Phone: 541-575-0028. Fax: 541-575-1721. Email: cityjd@ centurytel.net. • Long Creek — P.O. Box 489, Long Creek 97856. Phone: 541-421-3601. Fax: 541-421-3075. Email: info@ cityoflongcreek.com. • Monument — P.O. Box 426, Monument 97864. Phone and fax: 541-934-2025. Email: cityofmonument@centurytel.net. • Mt. Vernon — P.O. Box 647, Mt. Vernon 97865. Phone: 541-932-4688. Fax: 541-932-4222. Email: cmtv@ ortelco.net. • Prairie City — P.O. Box 370, Prairie City 97869. Phone: 541-820-3605. Fax: 820-3566. Email: pchall@ortelco.net. • Seneca — P.O. Box 208, Seneca 97873. Phone and fax: 541-542-2161. Email: senecaoregon@gmail.com. SALEM • Gov. Kate Brown, D — 254 State Capitol, Salem 97310. Phone: 503-378- 3111. Fax: 503-378-6827. Website: governor.state.or.us/governor.html. • Oregon Legislature — State Capitol, Salem, 97310. Phone: (503) 986-1180. Website: leg.state.or.us (includes Oregon Constitution and Oregon Revised Statutes). • Oregon Legislative Information — (For updates on bills, services, capitol or messages for legislators) — 800- 332-2313. • Sen. Cliff Bentz, R-Ontario – 900 Court St. NE, S-301, Salem 97301. Phone: 503-986-1730. Website: oregonlegislature.gov/Bentz. Email: Sen.CliffBentz@oregonlegislature.gov. • Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale – 900 Court St. NE, H-475, Salem 97301. Phone: 503- 986-1460. Website: oregonlegislature. gov/findley. Email: Rep.LynnFindley@ oregonlegislature.gov. WASHINGTON, D.C. • The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202- 456-1111; Switchboard: 202-456- 1414. Blue Mountain EAGLE Published every Wednesday by FARMER’S FATE We have to stop meating like this S aturday night is synonymous with game night at my house — unless the hay is ready to bale, or needs loading, or the ani- mals find a hole in the fence. But if the stars have aligned and we find ourselves without work to do on a Saturday night, you can be sure we’ll be playing games that extend all the way from strategy to stupidly funny. Last Saturday we chose stu- pidly funny. It was one of my favorite group games — a cross between Pictionary and the old children’s “gossip” game. Where one person whispers a word to the next person, who in turn whis- pers what they thought they heard to the following person and so on and so forth. This game takes that idea and puts it into sketches as it goes around the circle. It’s always a riot — and this night was no different. The word was cannibal. I wrote it down on the first page, and passed it on to the next person who had 30 seconds to draw it. It wasn’t until it had been passed all around the circle that I real- ized just how much our alterna- tive-meat society was affecting our psyches. The first picture showed a giant, gourd-like pot with flames around it and a couple of scribbles inside (afterward we were told those scribbles were actually peo- ple — but it was leaning heavy on the interpretive art side of things). The guess on the following page said “rotisserie.” For which the next person drew a cauldron under a spit roasting something seri- ously scrawny — only a few thin lines poking out the side of the skewer. It was scrawny enough to make a starving gopher look hearty. The next guess was “vege- tarian barbecue.” To which laugh- —Rita Rudner Brianna Walker ter erupted and conversation took a quick turn carnivorous. I am vegetarian — but don’t hold that against me. I saw a bumper sticker once that read “I am not a vegetarian because I love animals—I simply hate plants.” Actually, I have been a vegetar- ian most of my life, one of the few in my family — although I do have a sister who calls herself “flexitarian” because she can “go either way.” Having been vege- tarian long before it was “cool,” I always thought it harmless enough — but in today’s world of fad and social media, it seems almost to become a source of righteousness. Never before have I felt a sense of embarrassment about belonging to the few that abstain from meat. Now, however, if diet comes up in a group of veg- ans, I tend to walk on eggshells — which I’ve found really upsets them. They don’t seem to enjoy cracking yolks. Vegetarian or otherwise, my family loves sarcasm and puns, and this cannibal-turned-vegetar- ian barbecue was a great source of delight as we all took turns cook- ing up our own dry food jokes — we may have over-seasoned slightly. “What happens when a can- nibal gets religion? He only eats Catholics on Sunday.” “What happens when a canni- bal eats a Pentecostal? He can’t keep them down — hallelujah!” A missionary was walking in Africa when he heard the omi- nous sound of a blade sharp- ening behind him. “Oh Lord,” prayed the missionary, “Grant in thy goodness that the man walk- ing behind me is a good Chris- tian man.” And then, in the silence that followed, the missionary heard the man praying too: “Oh Lord,” he prayed, “we thank thee for the food which we are about to receive.” In the midst of all the heated discussions on milkless milk, plant-based alternatives and meat- less meats, sometimes we just need to step back and ask the important questions, like: How many vegans does it take to change a light bulb? Two, one to change it and one to check for ani- mal ingredients. A husband and wife were sit- ting around talking about their hard day at work, and the wife was complaining that she needed to be more assertive to get any- where, when her husband told her, “You know what the prob- lem is, don’t you? It’s a dog-ea- dog world out there, and you’re a vegan!” But through all the crazy, I did find one redeeming quality of being vegan — you’ll never have to worry about cheesy jokes during game night. Brianna Walker occasionally writes Farmer’s Fate for the Blue Mountain Eagle. GUEST COMMENT How do millennials spend money? S oon to be the largest gener- ation in our country’s his- tory, millennials are roughly considered to be ages 22-38, and it’s estimated they will have well over $1 trillion in buying power this year. Traditional advertis- ing practices do not reach these customers, and it’s important for businesses to understand what motivates them to buy. Millennials are perhaps the most socially and environmentally conscious generation and want to do business with those compa- nies they believe share their val- ues. Millennials also expect busi- nesses to give a significant portion of their sales back to these causes. This age group purchases brand name items, subscrip- tion services (including for cloth- ing) and the latest in technology. According to a recent article in Forbes Magazine written by Gui Costen, more than half do not have credit cards, and most have less than $1,000 in savings, if any at all. Grant County’s Weekly Newspaper Publisher............ ......................................Chris Rush, crush@eomediagroup.com Editor & General Manager ...............Sean Hart, editor@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................Rudy Diaz, rudy@bmeagle.com Reporter ...................................................... Steven Mitchell, steven@bmeagle.com Sports ........................................................sports@bmeagle.com Marketing Rep .......................................Kim Kell, ads@bmeagle.com Administrative Assistant ..................Christy Smith, office@bmeagle.com Office Assistant .....................................Alixandra Hand, office@bmeagle.com MEMBER OREGON NEWSPAPER PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION “I WAS A VEGETARIAN UNTIL I STARTED LEANING TOWARD THE SUNLIGHT.” Online: MyEagleNews.com Millennials are driven by dis- counts, do research and shop for nearly everything online using their mobile devices and tab- lets. Having grown Greg Smith up in the dig- ital world, they expect instant responses and desire customer-cen- tered buying experiences. They communicate by text. As important to understand- ing where millennials spend their money, it’s vital to know where they don’t: cable television, home remodeling materials, travel. What do they buy? The latest smart phones, conveniences, food that often makes a political state- ment and reflects their lifestyle in unique dining establishments, brand name clothing and other retail items, subscription services and older millennials are buying homes. How do business owners suc- cessfully market to millennials? 1 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION RATES (including online access) Grant County .........................................$45 Everywhere else in U.S. .......................$57 Outside Continental U.S. ....................$60 Subscriptions must be paid prior to delivery Periodicals Postage Paid at John Day and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER send address changes to: Blue Mountain Eagle 195 N. Canyon Blvd. John Day, OR 97845-1187 USPS 226-340 Phone: 541-575-0710 Digital and social media platforms are the key. Research also sug- gests they read blogs before mak- ing a purchase and enjoy being engaged by companies on social media. A significant percentage (espe- cially younger millennials) report- edly have fled Facebook (although Nielsen reports it is still the largest platform accessed by their mobile devices), utilizing Snapchat, Insta- gram and YouTube instead. Bottom line? Traditional adver- tising does not reach nor appeal to millennials. They’re changing the way the business world works and businesses wanting to reach this group of consumers (and their pocketbooks) must quickly and continually adapt. Greg Smith is the director of the Eastern Oregon University Small Business Development Cen- ter located at 1607 Gekeler Lane, Room 148, in La Grande. For free, confidential business advis- ing, call 541-962-1532 or email eousbdc@gmail.com. Copyright © 2020 Blue Mountain Eagle All rights reserved. No part of this publication covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means — graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, taping or information storage and retrieval systems — without written permission of the publisher. facebook.com/MyEagleNews @MyEagleNews
