[Vision2020] The Future

Fri Jul 1 22:57:04 PDT 2005

Phil,
Your perspective is so refreshing to see posted ... maybe because it is
pretty close to mine ... it's almost scary.  You name just a few of Moscow's
problems, and there are so many more.  Moscow's current problems lie in its
angst to try and discover what it is to be.  There is plenty of bashing and
too little problem solving, but this is part of its process of learning what
it wants.  At some point in time I expect to see movement towards
constructive criticism and actual community building.  When the leaders,
business people and citizens work towards consensus, this movement can go
forward.  Until then, too many self-interests are at work here and leaving
the rest of the community in the dark.

High tech is just one market Moscow is missing out on.  But before Moscow
can attract such firms, there needs to be a stable foundation-economy that
maintains a sufficient stardard of living for those outside of this high
tech industry.  To maintain our quality of life, there needs to be a quality
of life to maintain.  The past efforts of economic development have
attempted to bypass our base economy and rely on attracting outside big
business.  The business that has no sense of community, the business that is
attracted by economic & tax incentives, the business that cares not to be
attracted by a strong community-based economic structure.

Your bleak future for Moscow is a reality that can be undermined by the
community.  I wish I could stick around to help see a brighter future
happen, but it is beyond my current capacity to even want to continue trying
to live here.  I am one of the rats leaving the ship.  I'll be the second
architect to leave in two years.  My wife will be the second LA to leave
this year.  Whether it's common sense, high tech, art, community support, or
common good, Moscow no longer has what it takes to keep us here.

While on sabbatical, we'll keep in touch with friends that remain, to see if
Moscow grows through its teenage-angst and decides to take sure steps in a
positive direction.  Until then we'll experience other communities, learn
how they grew through their differences, and if it works out, we'll return
in a couple of years with a greater legitimacy than we were able to acheive
in our 27 years of living here.  Best wishes in your vision quest.

Ciao,
Mark

Mark Seman, Architect
Heather Seman, Landscape Architect
1404 East 'F' Street  Moscow, Idaho 83843
v 208-883-3276 / f 208-883-0112

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]On Behalf Of Phil Nisbet
Sent: Friday, July 01, 2005 5:57 AM
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Vision2020] The Future

As with so many of the organizations and institutions in the local area that
lay claim to debating “The Future of Moscow”, this particular list seems
more pent up on airing political differences that actually talking about the
kind of community anybody wants to see in the future.  Insularity and clique
support in attacks on opposition seems the rule, all focused on the here and
now.

Mark Solomon and I have posted, from two very differing views, on water
resources issues.  There were very few responses or discussions from that.
However, there is endless discussion of the love hate relationship between
various religions here and endless posts from the “I Hate Bush” crowd of
reposts of Editorial pages.

And as the factions scream at each other here, form organizations to oppose
each other, battle in the papers, in hearings and in the courts, what future
does Moscow have?

Let me give you a very concrete example of why this is important.

Growth in the next decade or two in the US economy is going to be based on
the emergence of the field of Nanotechnology.  Universities are receiving
close to a billion dollars a year in support from Federal budgets to study
applications in this field and industry is starting to match and exceed that
spending.  Moscow is a university town and while budgets are being cut in
other areas, Nanotech is not being sliced down to size.

So, where is the University of Idaho on Nanotechnology?  Right at the
forefront, but not here in Moscow.

While all here have been battling and calling names, the University has
quietly shipped two of the biggest growth areas of Nanotechnology right the
heck out of the Moscow area.  The Bio-medical Technology side was shipped up
to Post Falls, so those personnel for the University do not live and
contribute hare and their work will spawn nice clean new spin off jobs
outside of Spokane.  The Nanotechnology Electronics folks are centered at a
new institute in Boise and any jobs they spawn and the people working on
them and the huge grants they get, all spread out in Ada not Latah County.

If the current community of Moscow is such a wonderful place to be, why did
our areas biggest employer decide, with absolutely no community input, to
ship those jobs out of the area?  Could it be that they realize there is no
future here in Moscow and like rats fleeing the ship, they are sending their
best and brightest to open up new locations?

But what the heck, let’s not discuss the future here.  Let us simply
continue to back bite and back stab and name call and sh-t in our own nest.
Then the last person out of the University of Idaho can please remember to
shut off the lights, after all, we have to remember to conserve water and
energy.

Phil Nisbet

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