[Spam] RE: [Vision2020] The Future

Fri Jul 1 12:13:34 PDT 2005

Excellent post. There is plenty of common ground to build on.
-----Original message-----
From: "Phil Nisbet" pcnisbet1 at hotmail.com
Date: Fri,  1 Jul 2005 11:00:31 -0700
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Subject: [Spam] RE: [Vision2020] The Future

> Mark
> 
> For the very reasons that you state, this community has to stop quibbling 
> over the tiny stuff and start organizing to become more politically 
> effective in insuring that Micron and the Eagle Mafia do not high grade all 
> of our futures.
> 
> You and I have had many a politcal disagreement over the years, but I do not 
> call you names and you have never done such to me.  We can disagree and 
> still discuss, find common ground and accomplish joint goals.
> 
> I am not sure that all the people on this list are aware of the things can 
> be accomplished when people of varying views set aside anomosity and strive 
> together.
> 
> When Phil Nisbet of Grassroots for Multiple Use and Mark Solomon of the ICL 
> put aside their differences, the first Habitat Conservation Agreement for 
> Endangered Species was born.  That agreement ended up restoring miles of 
> spawning grounds for Chinook Salmon and steelhead and at the same time gave 
> ranchers in Lemhi and Custer Counties a chance to clean up their acts 
> without extreme financial hardship.  We could have just as easily screamed 
> at each other and hurled insults, but I still remember the fun of doing 
> pledge for pledge of GMU against ICL on Books for Bucks (Candice Donnicht's 
> annual Salmon School District fundraiser) on the Salmon Radio instead.
> 
> We can make a great community better by practicing some commity  We can make 
> a great community better by seeking our common ground and finding ways to 
> work together to achieve our common dreams.  If Phil and Mark can do it, 
> surely some of the rest of these well educated and well meaning folks can 
> find it in themselves to do the same?
> 
> Phil Nisbet
> 
> >From: Mark Solomon <msolomon at moscow.com>
> >To: "Phil Nisbet" <pcnisbet1 at hotmail.com>, vision2020 at moscow.com
> >Subject: RE: [Vision2020] The Future
> >Date: Fri, 1 Jul 2005 10:22:21 -0700
> >
> >Phil,
> >
> >The shipment of UI jobs to campuses elsewhere has less to do with local 
> >real estate and a lot more to do with the parochialism of the Idaho 
> >Legislature. The Legislature, for reasons known (Simplot, Micron, the Boise 
> >"mafia", etc) and unknown have been doing their best to shave off programs 
> >from the UI Moscow campus for over 20 years. The engineering programs have 
> >been their largest target. You're right... those programs stand the best 
> >chance of receiving grants that focus on technology and they are to a large 
> >extent going elsewhere. The University Place project (before it turned into 
> >the debacle it now is) was primarily a UI response to that Legislative 
> >pressure.
> >
> >Until the Legislature changes their tune on both program emphasis location 
> >and appropriate employee compensation, local Moscow development issues are 
> >just about irrelevant to retaining a quality research faculty at the UI.
> >
> >Mark Solomon
> >
> >At 9:14 AM -0700 7/1/05, Phil Nisbet wrote:
> >>Tom
> >>
> >>You can have all the little stores in downtown that you dream of and it 
> >>will not replace any lose of high paying University Salaries.  And other 
> >>Universities are snapping up what this one either turns away or ships to 
> >>other locations.
> >>
> >>Just as an example, the plastics industry is moving to include 
> >>nanotechnology into its designs to make nano-composite materials that will 
> >>help to improve the life of products.  If a plastic bummer is stronger 
> >>than steel and has half the weight, energy savings result.  If a 
> >>nano-composite can make a house less flammable, lives are saved and inert 
> >>nano-composites can be used to replace more toxic fire retardants.
> >>
> >>So the plastics industry sees growth in those types of materials going 
> >>from less than 1% of their sales to 30-40% of their sales in the next 
> >>decade, from a current sales of just under a $100,000,000 to in excess of 
> >>4 trillion dollars.
> >>
> >>University of Alaska Fairbanks just snagged $17,000,000 in a grant to 
> >>study just one aspect of nanotech composites.  University of Pennsylvania 
> >>picked up some research initially done here in Moscow and got a DOE grant 
> >>for about ten million to look at how nano particles could assist in nuke 
> >>waste disposal.  Heck, the NIST of the Department of Commerce is handing 
> >>away $600,000,000 a year in grants and do we have any active here in 
> >>Moscow?
> >>
> >>You have to sell one heck of a lot of Wild Women Traders dresses or a pot 
> >>of Tie Die T-shirts to equal even a fraction of what’s out there in terms 
> >>of research money, let alone the potential for spin off technology 
> >>businesses that this kind of work could be bringing in.
> >>
> >>If we keep losing jobs at U of I and refuse to get in touch with the 
> >>future of technology, this will end up being nothing more than an admin 
> >>center for branch campuses that get all the good jobs and all the Research 
> >>Grants.  How many shops can we have in Downtown, Tom, if the University 
> >>loses more jobs and payroll?
> >>
> >>The reason that the non-conforming businesses are siting in downtown is 
> >>that the business climate here makes downtown space cheap. Housing costs 
> >>are through the roof here and what sort of disposable income do you think 
> >>that kids making minimum wage at Wendy’s or Tri-State have once they pay 
> >>their landlords?  Half the school year population is living hand to mouth 
> >>and we offer no better paying jobs to them.  Want to see non-conforming 
> >>uses move?  Increase disposable income by getting some real jobs in here.  
> >>If downtown businesses could make more profits, they would of a matter of 
> >>course push those other businesses out and expand.
> >>
> >>How many jobs will beating the CCers up and forcing them to leave bring 
> >>in?  How many jobs will turning Wallmart out end up ponying up here in 
> >>Moscow?
> >>
> >>And its not that I concur with Doug Wilson’s ideology or that I am in love 
> >>with Wally World’s stores, I just see people chasing their tails and 
> >>refusing to deal with real economic development issues.  This area needs 
> >>jobs and yet this very list felt free to jump all over Barbara and claim 
> >>she was part of an evile conspiracy for even suggesting that we need 
> >>economic development.  As the person in charge of Economic Development in 
> >>the county, rather than assist her and get some desirable growth, she ends 
> >>up fighting an uphill battle to get even a few things going in the Alturas 
> >>Park.
> >>
> >>So stop whining about downtown and tell us, what sort of development 
> >>should we be looking at? How should we as a community get with the 
> >>University to see that it ships no more jobs out to Boise or CDA?  How 
> >>should we go about attracting firms to move here and use our access to a 
> >>large intellectual community to increase hob opportunity here?
> >>
> >>That’s what the FUTURE is about, not NSA or LOGOS or any of the other 
> >>piddling issues that absorb your time.
> >>
> >>Phil Nisbet
> >>
> >>_________________________________________________________________
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> 
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