[Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)

Thu Jan 15 18:17:09 PST 2009

Tom,

Moscow knocks down every job opportunity, not just the Wal-Mart ones. I am not sure of any job opportunities Moscow's elite has not put a stumbling block in the path of. 

And Wal-Mart pays better than most of your other retail stores, like Win-Co, the Co-Op, and Safeway. And as lousy as their health insurance is, at least it provides some type of help.

Wal-Mart also provides a higher quality of life for the poor and students that would otherwise be buying a buying paper towels at Safeway for $3 instead of .84 cents. 

The UI wastes millions of dollars, such as the recreation center. Do you really think that was best spent $7 million? I bet a private corporation could have done a much better job with it. 

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Thu, 1/15/09, Tom Hansen <idahotom at hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Tom Hansen <idahotom at hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)
To: jennifer at inlandradio.com, donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com, "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Thursday, January 15, 2009, 11:25 AM

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Thank you, Jennifer.

Arnold stated:

"What few things there are to do in Moscow, also cost a lot of money, which is hard to afford when you have no money, because there are no jobs that pay above what you need to scrape by."

I cannot believe that this is the same guy that felt an urgency for Moscow to welcome a Wal-Mart Supercenter and its low-end, minimum-wage temporary jobs.

I will reiterate what I had said several times before.  What Moscow needs is to expand on career-oriented jobs like the techno-park.

Moscow needs jobs that extend far beyond stocking shelves at Wal-Mart, jobs whose customer interaction is not limited to "Do you want fries with that?"  

Sure.  These low-end, minimum-wage temporary jobs put extra spending money into the pockets of college students.  How about after they graduate?  If Moscow expanded on career-oriented jobs, these students would have a reason to stick around Moscow after graduation.

Eventually, as an employee in an entry-level position of a career-oriented field moves up the ladder . . . (s)he becomes a couple . . .  they become a family.

Then will come the multitudes of retail outlets, to include the "science discovery parks", big museums, theme parks, and "big fancy hangouts" providing those families with a wide range of options to spend their money, especially the kids.

So, before anybody steps up to the microphone during the public commentary portion of a city council session and suggests that Moscow needs a 20,000 acre Disneyland North, I suggest we give careful consideration to the jobs that will assist in housing, feeding, and entertaining those families.

Seeya round town, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"For a lapsed Lutheran born-again Buddhist pan-Humanist Universalist Unitarian Wiccan Agnostic like myself there's really no reason ever to go to work."

- Roy Zimmerman

From: jennifer at inlandradio.com
To: donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com; vision2020 at moscow.com
Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2009 10:53:47 -0800
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)

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I’ll reiterate what my parents said when I complained: “Only boring people can be bored.”

Jennifer L. Ingalls

From: Donovan Arnold [mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com] 
Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 10:30 AM
To: 'vision 2020'; Jennifer Ingalls
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)

Jennifer,

I liked doing all those things too as a child in Moscow. But lets face it, there is only so some many times you can visit the McConnell Mansion before it no longer entertaining to a child. And camping doesn't count because you have to leave Moscow to go do it.  

If you are an outdoors type of person, there are lots of things to do in North Idaho. But for many people that are not, it leaves something to be desired. 

One of the biggest complaints I heard from students was that there was nothing to do in Moscow, and why so many people supported the Student Recreation Building, which is more like a glorified and over priced Idaho Athletic Club with a climbing wall then a recreation center for different kinds of recreational activities. 

I do not think I have found a mother at UI that thought Moscow's daycare was inexpensive. There is a huge waiting list too. 

What few things there are to do in Moscow, also cost a lot of money, which is hard to afford when you have no money, because there are no jobs that pay above what you need to scrape by. 

There is less to do in Moscow now then was when my Mother was child in Moscow. 

We have no bowling alley. We have no roller skating ring. We have no IMax Theater. We have fewer quality restaurants. We have no high tech gaming center. We have no science discovery park, we have no big museums. No race cars. No theme parks, no big fancy hangouts, we don't even really have a year round swimming pool,  

The best thing Moscow has for entertainment is the Library. Which is a great library, but hardly the place that comes to mind when we want to think about entertainment. 

Yes, you can always THINK of something to do in Moscow, but that is the problem, you really have to THINK, to find something to do. Its Midnight in Moscow, besides the bars and the Jack N the Crack drive-thru, what is open?

Best Regards,

Donovan

--- On Wed, 1/14/09, Jennifer Ingalls <jennifer at inlandradio.com> wrote:

From: Jennifer Ingalls <jennifer at inlandradio.com>
Subject: [Vision2020] Family-Friendly Activities (was U of I Program Cuts)
To: "'vision 2020'" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009, 1:27 PM

I don’t necessarily want to get into the argument about diversity in Moscow or at UI, but I do take some issue with Donovan’s statement, “Not to mention the lack of affordable child care, or family fun activities.”

I grew up in Moscow and though my family had more money than families where a student is the primary financier of the household, we were not at a loss for family-friendly free activities (unless we were willfully bored). This is not to say that we can’t do better as a community at providing free and/or inexpensive activities, but I think many of us forget those things that are available to us. For example, I –regretfully—cannot remember the last time I went to the McConnell Mansion or picked up a walking tour guide of the towns history and hoofed it through Fort Russell (two activities that occupied Spring and Summer days of my youth). The library (which I remember as only being the old part of the building) was cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. Organizations like Campfire, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and local churches provided the three of us a lot of fun and educational activities (both our family’s church of choice and the churches or
 religious organizations of friends). My mom used to take us to Good Sam to distribute our wares after craft days at the house. We’d ride bikes out to Robinson Lake Park , “fish” in Hordeman’s pond, or take advantage of all the demonstrations, concerts and educational lectures the University offered. There were a lot of things to do!

I’ll grant that I was a nerdy kid (still am). I, too, would love to see more activities available after school that would appeal to “at risk” youth (I AM doing something about that with my involvement in Latah County Youth Advocacy Council), but I don’t think can jump on board with the whole “there’s nothing to do here” claim.  

Jennifer L. Ingalls
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