The Way: Comm. Cribbins on Abortion, Tim Nesbitt on EVs, Sue Hildick & Adam Davis on School Reform
PLUS a new contributor announcement.
Did you miss “The Liftoff”?
Read the latest version here
You shouldn’t have to be an “Insider” to be in the know.
(Long) Editor’s Note:
Like clockwork, the Frazier family heads to Sunriver in late July for a week of bike rides, river swims, and Goody’s milkshakes. That’s why my mom’s question—Do we need to find a new summer spot?—nearly sent me into shock.
How could we—Sunriver diehards through thick and thin—ever think about heading to a different destination?
No one needed to ask my mom why she thought it might be time to move on. We were all inside our rented house, seeking refuge from 100+ degree temps, smoke-filled skies, and increasingly busy bike paths and likely wondering the same thing as her.
Our potential need to find a new summer spot is small potatoes compared to the Oregonians who have few ways to combat the worst effects of climate change, congestion, and uncertainty. The fact that I’ve become accustomed to a weekly Sunriver vacation with clean air and clear bike paths exposes all of the privileges that come with such an expectation.
My battle and the battle for others who have the good fortune of being able to avoid the worst effects of our numerous crises is to find a way to shift our collective focus toward the communities who have no good option other than to pick among bad options.
While I complained about an Air Quality Index of 150, folks in Medford were suffering through 250+ scores--most residents there aren’t in a position to pick up and move to a pasture with cleaner air.
While I lamented crowded bike paths, some people in Portland set up tents wherever they could find an empty corner in the City’s already tent-filled downtown--most of those experiencing housing insecurity remain decades away from ever having enough money to get a house of their own.
While I perched in front of a fan to cool down, some Oregonians were picking up everything to avoid wildfires that seemed unstoppable.
The comparison is important because it reveals the huge disparities in how Oregonians are grappling with these successive swells of crises. For some, they amount to an inconvenience. For others, their livelihood and lives are at stake. Our political energy and public resources must go toward those perilously close to the edge rather than those who have the means and time to be closest to policy-makers. In other words, we must make sure that our processes and policies focus their attention on those who don’t have any good options other than to buckle down and try to survive these calamitous times.
We cannot become complacent and adjust to letting more and more Oregonians become less and less able to access clean air, sufficient shelter, and meaningful work. As the problems of our day seem to mount, it can be easy to set a new bar for what’s acceptable -- that cannot happen.
Oregon can and must be the place where bold investments are made in the most basic conditions for a good life. These aren’t sexy ideas that poll well and propel candidates into office. At a time when politicians seem to be battling over the wildest ideas, we need to return to vanilla ideas that tackle the root causes and immediate issues tied to climate change, public health, and housing affordability.
As our climate and the race for Governor heats up, voters need to zero-in on how candidates plan to solve problems with relatively straightforward solutions.
We need to be better at helping Oregonians displaced by climate emergencies get resettled and restarted.
We need to treat homelessness like the crisis it is and cut red tape that’s tied up efforts to increase our housing stock. Politicians talk a good game about lowering barriers to develop, yet developers complain that there are few, if any, incentives to build affordable housing.
We need to acknowledge and act on our obligation to give future generations access to all Oregon has to offer today.
Saving lives isn’t boring. We don’t need moonshots. We need big investments in basic essentials. A focus on the basics will create a much better future for all Oregonians.
This “basic” vision will require radical focus from our elected officials and local leaders. The incentives for these individuals tend to pull them toward whatever is trending on Twitter or made the focus of a foundation’s grant cycle. Neither Twitter nor foundations tend to get excited by things like community efforts to prevent food waste so that no meal goes uneaten. Social media and donors tend not to celebrate setting up lockers for individuals experiencing homelessness to know they have a safe spot to store their stuff. And, it’s unlikely that projects to distribute air filters to communities disproportionately likely to experience poor air quality will go viral.
That’s why we need leaders bold enough to champion basic projects. This sort of leadership has appeared, though fleetingly, throughout Oregon’s history. Governor Kulongoski, for instance, raised awareness of food security by going on food stamps for a week. Governor Roberts secured federal waivers to allow the state to move forward with the Oregon Health Plan, which helped more Oregonians access the foundational health supports required to thrive. Governor Brown appointed the state’s first Resilience Officer, who has aided communities around the state with disaster preparedness.
The future of Oregon will be a bleak one if we fail to secure the basics for all. As Sunriver guests, farmers in Northeast Oregon, and fishers along the coast can all testify to--the things we used to take for granted--like moderate summers and relatively clean air--are rapidly becoming hard to attain and expensive to secure. If these basics don’t receive adequate attention, then Oregon will look like other places where the essentials to a good life are solely available to those in the upper rungs of the income ladder. That’s not an Oregon I think any of us want to see.
The future of Oregon can look like a place where zip code does not determine your life outcomes. The future of Oregon can be a place that’s resilient to national trends such as excessive partisanship and uncheck inequality. The future of Oregon can be bright if we shun the temptation to fund studies and pilots related to shiny projects, when solutions to tackle the basics are right in front of us.
I know this is a future we can attain. By starting The Oregon Way blog, I’ve had a chance to connect with Average Joes and Janes in every corner of the state. The thing that unites us all is a mutual love for Oregon. Go read a few posts to the blog and you’ll see that Oregonians of every demographic, belief, and ideology are doing the important work of caring for others in their neck of the woods. When an ice storm hit Silverton, Sarah White and her network of community volunteers didn’t dream up crazy ways to support those in need -- they jumped into action and found warm, safe places for people without power. When fires decimated Talent, Umpqua Bank did not advocate for Fiber internet to be installed, but funded $20,000 in hotspots to be immediately distributed to kids without WiFi. These stories and others pop up in Red and Blue areas and on both sides of the Cascades. As much as lofty policy ideas are attractive and fun to discuss, the stakes are too high not to prioritize the basics.
If we channel our shared Oregonian-ness and tap into that pride of place, I know we can rally behind addressing the basics for all of our neighbors.
Here’s to a better Oregon,
Kevin
To look forward to:
Future posts from Beatrice Khan, a new contributor and current Beaverton High School student
Rep. Marty Wilde examines how train-based commutes could become a reality along the I-5 corridor — “bullet” trains are not required.
To read:
Melissa Cribbins shares an exciting update on the collaborative approach to upgrade the Oregon Coast Trail.
read more about the OCT here.
Melissa also shared her own abortion story in response to the new restrictive law in Texas.
read more here.
Sue Hildick reimagines the school year schedule and encourages others to similarly think outside the box.
read more here.
Tim Nesbitt points out that the transition to electronic vehicles doesn’t have to involve everyone buying a Tesla. In fact, there’s a far better approach.
read more here.
George Murdock reminds the rest of Oregon that Umatilla County and rural parts of the state are quite capable of getting stuff done.
read more here.
Cam Scott gives voice to Oregon’s voiceless and powerless anadromous fish. Oregon cannot let these fish continue to suffer if the state expects to persist in its current form.
read more here.
Adam Davis discusses some ideas for school reform…offered by his own kids! Don’t miss these creative ideas for improving our school days.
read more here.
To do:
Share The Oregon Way with three friends
Nominate a contributor to TOW
Tell us how we can improve!
Photo credit: "moon over the snake river canyon" by Josh Parrish is licensed under CC BY 2.0