[Vision2020] Leadership

[Steffen Werner]

I don't think that a discussion of basic economic theory is what will 
move this discussion forward to a constructive and meaningful 
exchange about local issues.  BJ unfortunately started her post with 
a general statement that Jeff then responded to scholarly - but 
unfortunately this focus is missing the main point that followed in 
BJ's post.  I think all of the candidates running for office in this 
local election (and probably most around this country) have no 
objections to our basic economic principle of a free market economy. 
The candidates also all share the same sense of duty when it comes to 
making payroll (Tom has quite a few people working for him, none of 
whom have filed complaints against him for not doing so - Linda the 
same).  So - the real issue in this context is a rather small one 
given the big issues raised (and probably not worthy of a Nobel, but 
still relevant here in Moscow):  How much oversight should the 
community, represented by the city council, have over proposed 
business development?  Should this be relatively unfettered with very 
lax oversight, or should it increase oversight if a development might 
have a large impact on the community?  I think that this is a 
reasonable discussion to have - and neither side of this discussion 
is anti or any growth automatically just by preferring one over the 
other.  Coming from a system (Germany) where there is a lot more 
oversight and zoning restrictions than here, I find some of the 
recently voiced positions quite baffling.  If probed I can give some 
interesting examples in another post. So - why don't we focus on the 
local issue at hand, instead of going off on a tangent (even though 
that might make for better sound bites)
Steffen
-- 
Dr. Steffen Werner, Associate Professor
Dept. of Psychology and Communication Studies
University of Idaho
Moscow, ID 83844-3043