Bernie Sanders: We need to be thinking seriously about a moratorium on data centers.

[highplainsdem]

Bernie Sanders: "We need to be thinking seriously about a moratorium on data centers. You gotta slow this process down. It's not good enough for the oligarchs to tell us 'you adapt.' Are they gonna guarantee healthcare to all people? What are they gonna do when there are no jobs? Make housing free?"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2025-12-28T14:33:15.526Z

[RandomNumbers]

1. That idea is not likely to sell.

But what might sell is insisting that data centers run only off-peak - consuming grid capacity that is already available. A moratorium, if you will, on expanding grid capacity to support AI, at the expense of residential customers.*

Sanders has an excellent point, as usual. But also as usual, where he is, is unfortunately not where the American electorate is. He likes to move immediately to a conclusion which is very logical to people who are paying attention. But most people are NOT paying attention and instead he and other politicos need to propose solutions to problems that those average people can easily relate to.

* noting also that as AI takes jobs away, residential customers have less $$$ to pay those bills.

[Attilatheblond]

2. In Arizona, there's not enough water to drink. People's wells are running dry, so they can't even move

No reachable water means no way to sell a home. In cities, builders keep building homes that are barely (or not at a) affordable are draining fossil aquafers faster than we have hopes of recharging the water. But local pols and GOP state legislators are bought by Big Tech to push approving water sucking data centers.

Destopian movies are beginning to look more and more like a glimpse into our future. Money over people is NOT a workable future.