Plastic straws were proposed as a ban in Oregon by Democrats in 2019. I felt it was a no-brainer, too, just like you. It’s a practical solution we could have completed overnight that would have a huge environmental impact and demonstrate Oregon’s commitment to environmental protection to the rest of the globe.

But when Democrats presented the bill, they were laughed out of the chamber. Republicans and corporate Democrats called Democrats naive. They admitted it was the right thing to do, but they said it just couldn’t be done. Unfortunately, the bill went under reform and only implemented a partial ban. This is precisely the situation in which my generation finds itself. These are the grown-ups in the room, and they can’t even stand up to straws? Everyone understands that we are in the midst of a generational battle that will determine our species’ survival on this planet. 

Politicians like Rep. Peter DeFazio, on the other hand, cannot appreciate our need to clean up this problem because they would have to recognize that they created it! It’s probably a good thing he’s retiring. 

If you’re reading this today, DeFazio and Val Hoyle, I don’t want my children and grandchildren to grow up in an Oregon with 20-foot sea walls separating a dying ocean from a scorched earth with tens of millions of climate refugees and fascist governments committing genocide on a global scale while we fight for dwindling food and water supplies! That is where the world will end if we do nothing, and when politicians say we can’t afford to address climate change, I say this: It is because of the policies of the previous generations that my generation and the generation before me have no other option! It’s time to cast your ballot for Doyle Canning for a green Oregon, and green earth.

Devon Lawson

Blue River

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