Data Centers and growth

If you weren't aware, there's a data center coming near you soon. Literally, dozens are planned around the state already. Republican leadership has opened the door and now every community is considering whether or not this is a good idea.

I'll tell you this - the benefit to Missouri is dubious. These are global corporations with out-of-state owners and worldwide customers. The computer farms will employ a handful of people, but the AI they support could put thousands out of work. These massive power-hungry buildings will compete for resources with the rest of us, probably gaining preference for electricity based on their demand and driving up prices.

Most troubling, in many cases they are getting tax incentives, literally removing any contribution they bring to our communities for decades.

I'm not opposed to business, but I believe those businesses that come into our communities should pay their own way and be good neighbors. They should share our interest in supporting our community members, schools and businesses. And they should work with us to improve our environment and culture.

I'm not sure that's happening now. We should make sure we get laws in place to protect the people before this goes any further.

When there is a data center on every farm, what we will eat? At some point, we need to have a conversation about growth. We can't go on like this forever. It's becoming increasingly clear that the earth is overburdened. Ask Chat GPT what happens when we consume all the resources.

And don't be fooled - new clever commercials supporting Amendment 5 claim that it will put taxes on data centers. That's not what Amendment 5 does. Amendment 5 will crater state finances by eliminating the Income Tax and open the door for politicians to tax everything. It's another bad deal being sold to you by the current leadership. This fall, reject Amendment 4 and 5 and anyone telling you it's a good deal.