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doomed?</title></head><body>
<div>A quick review of Idaho history should serve to remind us that
Moscow/Latah's "political and economic influence in the state"
was due to the demographics of the 1800's. When Idaho entered the
Union in the post Civil War era, the major population centers were the
mining districts of the state (primarily the Silver Valley), the main
trading centers situated along major transportation hubs (still
largely river or Oregon Trail focused : Lewiston and Boise), some
dryland farmers in the Palouse and the beginnings of irrigated ag
along the Snake in the south. There was no timber industry to speak
of, no north-south road, and very few Republicans. To a large extent,
Idaho was Democratic, as in Southern Democrat in post Civil War
America. When it came to setting up the new state's infrastructure,
the north with it's large population block was able to secure the
capitol in Lewiston (the terminus for upriver navigation on the
Snake), the state hospital in Orofino (Orofino used to be a gold
mining town before Weyherhauser and the green gold of timber came in
the early 1900's), the teachers college in Lewiston (now LCSC) and the
state university in Moscow (whose moderate Republican leaders banded
with the Dixiecrats to prevent the Mormons of south Idaho from
dominating the state. South Idaho got the prison in Boise and the
School for the Deaf and Blind in Gooding (another Oregon Trail
connection although I can't recall if that happened at the same time
as statehood). ISU was eventually established in Pocatello (a
Democratic RR town), but that was much later.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>For an excellent account of how the state came to be formed, I
recommend UI Law Professor Dennis Colson's book on writing the Idaho
Constitution:<font color="#000000"> Idaho's Constitution: The Tie That
Binds</font></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>It was a marriage of convenience that lasted, for Moscow, a
surprisingly long time. Lewiston lost the capitol quite quickly when
the instruments of state power were "stolen" and transported
to Boise via the only connecting route: downriver on the Snake and
then over the Oregon Trail via Pendleton to south Idaho (a trail any
one who has to go to Boise from Moscow has travelled more than once if
you've had the misfortune of needing to be in Boise, with a car, when
a rockslide closes Highway 95).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>What has diminished Moscow's influence in the state has far less
to do with the internal workings of our community than the explosive
growth of the state capitol (with all the attendant power that implies
along with it's setting aside the mainline RR and an Interstate
highway), the race hate politics of the 60's, 70's and 80's that saw
tectonic shifts in the major parties political platforms with Southern
Democrats realizing they are now Republicans, the national shift from
moderate to radically conservative Republicans and a winner take all
mindset first seen here in the Church/Symms race in 1982, white flight
from other states in the 80' and 90's to almost lily white north Idaho
north of the C'dA Reservation, and the boom in second home/retirement
homes in the ski/river/lake areas of the state as the baby boom
generation reaches it's economic if not age maturity.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>There are great challenges facing us. A city council and mayor
who have been in office for less than six months did not create our
problems. Unlike Donovan, I remain hopeful they are able and willing
to face them. Thanks Jerry for summing them up so succinctly.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Mark S.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>At 12:17 AM -0700 6/3/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite>Jerry,<br>
<br>
I don't think Moscow is willing to do what it needs or takes to
survive in the 21st Century as a strong growing community. We are not
a growing community. We are in fact a shrinking one. We are quickly
losing our political and economic influence in the state. We are
the Spanish after the Armada. It is not a mystery of how to get out of
this rut. But that is the direction many people here in power today
want the city to go. They want us to be a small, poor college town
stuck in 1999. They want the average annual income to be $24,000 in
the city, and family income in Latah to be $30,000 a year. They want
us paying 45% of our income in substandard housing, 20% on food, and
10% more on all other retail goods. They even want us to pay 20% in
sales tax, even for food and other necessities.</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
If Moscow wants to be a thriving community it needs to be willing to
embrace change and growth. Our community leaders so far have refused
to do that. Our leaders fear it and run away from it, rather then
learning about it and using it to our advantage. They insist on using
a candle out of the fear of being electrocuted by turning on a light
switch.<br>
<br>
Thanks for the work you do for this community Jerry.<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
<br>
_DJA<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<i><b>Jerry Weitz <gweitz@moscow.com></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote>No, and I believe that UI needs all the help we can give
it and wish the V2020's focus is on how to prosper with 21th Century
realities, how to avoid "swaths of prosperity(Gov. Warner),'' and
help make our rural area prosper as an example for other rural areas
that are being gutted. jerry (a devoted ruralist) At 11:38 PM
6/2/06, Donovan Arnold wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="-2">"It seems to me that
if folks on Vision2020 focused on solutions to pressing issues such as
helping the UI regain its prestige and position, offering solutions
rather than difficult arguments to such items as water,
attracting/retaining business that create good jobs, helping with
transporation issues, providing excellence in k-12 education for all
students, making the town more attractive, promoting
sensible growth through actual planning, considering the consequences
of having the area's retail shift to the corridor and how to have our
community prosper if this occurs, etc., I suspect Vision2020
will lift itself up and have the reputation of being a safe place to
forward great ideas and actions."-- Jerry W.</font><br>
<br>
In other words, in that very long sentence, Jerry, you think V2020 is
doomed?<br>
<br>
Best,<br>
<br>
_DJA<br>
<br>
<i><b>Jerry Weitz <gweitz@moscow.com></b></i> wrote:<br>
<blockquote><br>
It seems to me that if folks on Vision2020 focused on solutions to
pressing issues such as helping the UI regain its prestige and
position, offering solutions rather than difficult arguments to such
items as water, attracting/retaining business that create good jobs,
helping with transporation issues, providing excellence in k-12
education for all students, making the town more attractive,
promoting sensible growth through actual planning,
considering the consequences of having the area's retail shift to the
corridor and how to have our community prosper if this occurs, etc.,
I suspect Vision2020 will lift itself up and have the reputation of
being a safe place to forward great ideas and actions. After
all, local politics may turn out to be the most important.
jerry <br>
<br>
<br>
At 11:23 AM 6/2/06, Michael wrote:<br>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1">I agree with Bill London. It almost
seems that the strange conservative presence on Vision 2020 is a
strategic move; Im not saying it is, but it certainly does look
like it. I know there are some long term contributors here who
have recently given up, and I certainly cant defend this list as I
have done in the past. Ironically, though, Wilsons point
about whos doing what and why on Vision 2020 has been disintegrated
in the process. I have not given up on V2020 either, though.<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1">Michael Metzler<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1">have heard from a few people lately who
think V2020 is doomed. The horrible mean-spirited postings of
late have disgusted many of us. What is to be done?<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman">I haven't given up on V2020.
I think we need to deal with the present problem on V2020. The
problem is that following the Lewiston Tribune feature, a couple of
hot-head arch-conservatives decided to have some fun with the liberals
in Moscow. So they joined and started screaming. And we
jumped for the bait. What I suggest is that we practice what
Doug Wilson is so clever at using...old-fashioned shunning. We
should all stop responding to the postings from tony and dick.
This tactic has worked before on V2020. I would suggest trying
it again.<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Arial" size="-1">BL<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman"> <br>
</font><br>
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<br>
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>
<br>
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<span
></span
>ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<br>
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_____________________________________________________</blockquote>
<blockquote><br>
List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>
<br>
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
<br>
http://www.fsr.net<br>
<br>
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>
<br>
ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<span
></span
>ŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻŻ<br>
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<br>
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