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
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