[Vision2020] The Future

[Phil Nisbet]

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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