[Vision2020] "Liberals" Slammed For Pro-Business CBD Stance?

Janesta Carcich janestacarcich at yahoo.com
Sat Jan 7 21:10:29 PST 2006


I go shopping, I find a parking spot. It may not be a
space within 15 feet of the business I am going to,
but I find one nonetheless. 





--- Pat Kraut <pkraut at moscow.com> wrote:

> "Has anyone considered that if a very successful
> business moved into the NSA building the parking
> problems might be worse?"
> Yes, Yes I have and while I might find it amusing in
> a warped sort of way it won't make for any sort of
> peace and I do want some peace on the subject. I'm
> tellin ya the 1912 building needs to come down.  
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Ted Moffett 
>   To: thansen at moscow.com ; pkraut at moscow.com ;
> deco at moscow.com 
>   Cc: vision2020 at moscow.com 
>   Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 4:42 PM
>   Subject: Re: [Vision2020] "Liberals" Slammed For
> Pro-Business CBD Stance?
> 
> 
>   Tom et. al.
> 
>   When I wrote that those who seek to allow NSA to
> remain in the CBD represent a "liberal agenda," I
> meant that they appear to oppose the "intent" of
> what the CBD is about, that is, good old fashioned
> free market profit making (and tax paying)
> capitalism, with the possible motivation to allow a
> religious institution a pass because many have a
> soft spot for fellow believers, thus displaying a
> "religious oriented liberal agenda" that shows favor
> for promoting religion over capitalism in the CBD.  
> 
>   Of course, some argue NSA provides a service,
> education, purchased with dollars that fuel the
> economics of the CBD.  But NSA is not open to the
> public to use their "services," and the tax
> exemptions present another problem, though there are
> other tax exempt non-profits in the CBD, as well as
> private organizations that limit public use.  
> 
>   This whole issue is far more complicated and
> thorny than many wish to admit, though I think the
> zoning regs. for the CBD are clear that
> non-commercial higher educational institutions are
> not a permissible use, and there are legitimate
> concerns that NSA flaunted these regs. 
> 
>   The current and potential size of NSA, given a tax
> exempt status, is certainly cause for concern, along
> with the parking problems, as has been stated
> repeatedly.  Some cities in the USA have set limits
> on the number of tax exempt institutions that can
> occupy certain business districts because of the
> erosion of the tax base, and also mandate that tax
> exempt religious institutions must provide their own
> parking.  NSA does not own any property near NSA
> where they provide much parking, as we know, unless
> Anselm House has a few spots.  
> 
>   Pat Kraut says the parking problems will remain no
> matter what business is occupying NSA's building. 
> True, but if the NSA building was occupied by a
> profit making tax paying business offering goods or
> services open to all the public, the tax base would
> not be eroding, and the whole community could
> potentially have access.  
> 
>   Has anyone considered that if a very successful
> business moved into the NSA building the parking
> problems might be worse?  No one thinks NSA moving
> will solve Moscow's downtown parking problems.  The
> issue is those associated with NSA who park and take
> away customers from other profit oriented businesses
> in the CBD struggling to survive and pay those
> darned taxes.  
> 
>   It's no big secret why malls and Wal-Mart, etc.
> have huge parking lots that seem like overkill.  If
> someone can't park close to their shopping
> destination, they will go elsewhere.  How much
> business is lost in the CBD because potential
> customers have almost guaranteed convenient parking
> at the Moscow Mall, Eastside, or Wal-Mart?  I wish
> there more people willing to walk or bike, but these
> options would require a sea change in city planning
> and public thinking and feeling to become realistic
> options. 
> 
>   Here are a few interesting articles that relate to
> government regulation of religious institutions that
> reveals how complex and varied these legal problems
> are, and offer some legal insights into what we may
> see in court if the NSA case ends up in a legal
> battle: 
> 
>  
>
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/commentary.aspx?id=15633
> 
>  
>
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/rel_liberty/establishment/topic.aspx?topic=tax_exemptions
> 
> 
>  
>
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/analysis.aspx?id=15646
> 
>   Ted Moffett
>    
>   On 1/6/06, Tom Hansen <thansen at moscow.com> wrote: 
>     I tend to agree on the most part, Mr. Moffett.
> 
> 
> 
>     For as long as I can remember, conservatives
> have fought against government influence in our
> private lives. 
> 
> 
> 
>     Ironic, isn't it?
> 
> 
> 
>     Tom Hansen
> 
>     Moscow , Idaho
> 
> 
> 
>     "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with
> the intention of arriving safely in an attractive
> and well preserved body, but rather to skid in
> sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the
> other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and
> screaming 'WOO HOO. What a ride!'" 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
>     From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
> [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of
> Ted Moffett
>     Sent: Friday, January 06, 2006 4:48 AM
>     To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>     Subject: [Vision2020] "Liberals" Slammed For
> Pro-Business CBD Stance?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>     All:
> 
> 
> 
>     I find it odd in the extreme that the decision
> to maintain the debate about the business focus of
> the CBD by the Moscow City Council and Mayor Nancy
> Cheney, in the resent decision to take more time to
> consider the granting of a CUP to NSA, has been
> labeled "liberal" and "leftist" by some in local
> media. 
> 
> 
> 
>     Are not "leftists" and "liberals" those who take
> a more anti-business stance regarding how government
> regulation impacts the so called "free market," than
> "right wingers" and "conservatives?" 
> 
> 
> 
>     If NSA could be replaced in the CBD by a free
> market profit making capitalist business (NSA could
> simply move outside the CBD), why is this not to the
> liking of those free market capitalist advocates
> (those who often are called conservatives or right
> wingers), who ostensibly seek to promote the
> inherent value of such institutions in our society? 
> 
> 
> 
>     It seems in this case that the so called
> liberals are championing capitalism in their
> critical view of NSA's activity in the CBD, while
> the so called conservatives are actually taking a
> stance in favor of a non-profit institution, whose
> goals are ostensibly not those of making a buck and
> getting rich offering goods or services.  Indeed,
> NSA is above this sort of crass capitalism, is it
> not?  Or am I wrong?  I might actually respect NSA
> in this regard, with some serious qualifications, if
> indeed they serve higher goals than making a killing
> worshiping the almighty dollar.  But business is
> business, and worshiping the almighty dollar is what
> the CBD is ostensibly about, I assume.  Again, am I
> wrong? 
> 
> 
> 
>     Are those who defend NSA "socialists," if they
> defend NSA against the pure goals of capitalism that
> the 
=== message truncated ===>
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> 


Janesta Carcich

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