>Tom Hudson may be right -- perhaps this really is a critical time for
>Moscow. Maybe we really do have a window when we might consciously and
>collectively decide what we want this town to look like in the future. I
>wonder, though, whether we are ready to commit to such a task. We have the
>*tools*, but do we have anything close to the spirit? Vision 2020 is still
>publically attacked for its "fear mongering" and "anti-growth" sentiments.
>If I remember correctly, we were called Nazis by a lawyer for the Cameron
>brothers at a hearing in 1995. And on the other side are those who demonize
>proponents of any growth whatsoever. Is this the stuff of trust and dialog,
>or instead a sign that we are too polarized to talk civilly about our values
>and our future?
It is indeed, a very critical time for Moscow. From where I sit, I once
again say to people in Moscow, you *really* don't know how good you
have it. Carbondale, IL is a college town of about 35,000. Traffic is
horrendous, one cannot safely bike or walk, personal safety is a concern
in certain areas, the downtown area has been destroyed by the likes of Walmart,
and there are strip malls spread out all over the place. I have been labeled
a fear mongerer for raising growth issues about Moscow. That is not
an accurate label. I'm a realist. Carbondale is what Moscow will
be like without a concerted effort to preserve and protect.
I'm reminded of a quote from Edward Abbey:
"Society is like stew. If you don't keep it stirred up, scum rises to the top."
To the visionaries, I say keep stirring.
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Greg Brown
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Forestry, Southern Illinois University
Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Idaho
gregb@uidaho.edu