[Vision2020] Advanced Real Estate Question

[Kenneth Marcy]

On Tuesday 12 February 2008 23:38, Jeff Harkins wrote:
> Ken,
> 
> Interesting idea, but the economics favor a purchase of Moscow by 
> Washington.  Maybe you could spearhead that project.  Pullman has 
> industry, a PAC10 University, an airport, a new four lane highway and 
> a desire to expand their opportunities for prosperity.

You are certainly correct that a lot more wealth resides westward than 
southward, but in whose favor the economics lie is a question in need of 
some further examination.

Both Moscow and Pullman experience the visceral pangs of fiscal life at the 
level of satisfaction of far-away legislatures who see them as smaller, but 
still needed, communities in support of their states' larger enterprises. 
Olympia supports Pullman, Boise supports Moscow, and a fortuitous 
co-location allows some levels of mutually beneficial local interaction.

Washington buying Moscow very likely would remove incentive from Boise to 
continue to support its former property, regardless of the protests from 
sentimental alumni. Analogously, would you council Little Miss Moscow to 
leave Mom and Dad's well-known, if not luxurious, home to marry a wealthy 
westerner with more erratic income and spending habits and questionable 
interest in the young lady herself? The lengthy nature of the relationship, 
and the loss of the southern funding bloom for her major asset would leave 
the former Little Miss Moscow in distressed circumstances unless the 
wealthy westerner decided to replace that funding himself. Is that likely?

Suppose for some fickle faddish reason it became a popular idea among the 
westerner's residents that marrying Miss Moscow is a good idea. Think of 
all the wonderful things we could do together! We could spend a little to 
redecorate the neighborhoods ... say $5,000 per house for 8,000 worthy 
houses, or $10,000 for 4,000 if you prefer ... that's $40,000,000 in 
rehabilitation funds, and then we can flip those houses to wealthy 
westerners who need retirement homes, or Cougar fans who need to be closer 
to their beloved teams.

Oh, yes, about the water. Westerners are so used to lots of wonderful water 
they'll just have to do something about improving it. What could they do? 
They could spend $50,000,000 to build a 20-inch pipeline from the Snake 
River northward to Moscow, and pump water from the river up to a treatment 
facility, and then tie the water into the local distribution system. Won't 
that solve lots of problems for our new western Cougar retirees? They'll be 
able to water their lawns, and it will be just like back home on the other 
side of the Cascades.

Don't forget! Don't forget the engagement ring! Yes, just to round out the 
Redfordian _Indecent Proposal_ to $100,000,000, another $10,000,000 
to "spruce up" the downtown area and add some thematic ambiance. They 
haven't decided just what the theme will be yet, and they certainly haven't 
yet selected the interior designers and decorating consultants, but trust 
them, it will be marvelous, darling, simply marvelous.

And where, in this never-to-appear-at-Sundance movie, is the Jimmy Stewart 
character, standing on a snow-covered bridge, nearly decided to jump to 
avoid more of the terrors of the Potterville that resulted from the former 
Little Miss Moscow's marriage to the wealthy westerner? Where is the 
representative of steady self-reliance, of confident local cooperation that 
benefits locals first, and the remote customers of local exports after the 
locals have earned their wages and profits from their own industry?

No, Little Miss Moscow should not be dreamily imagining an escape from 
reality via marriage to a blue-eyed, blond westerner who promises to solve 
her every problem. The Little Miss needs to be counseled that she needs to 
achieve her maiden name onto a diploma of productive self-sustainability 
before she contemplates marriage with anyone, near or far.


Ken