By now you have probably witnessed the heated discussions about the rapid expansion of data centers on the news or even in your own community.
On one hand, data center expansion is a necessary step in keeping up with the boom in technology; specifically the enormous computing and storage requirements for artificial intelligence. Communities can benefit from the construction, the jobs and the tax revenue.
On the other hand, there are legitimate concerns. No one likes to see productive farm land being plowed under or a big ugly building on the edge of their neighborhood. There are questions that need to be answered. Is the growth planned in such a way that truly benefits the community? Are the local elected leaders giving them a sweetheart deal that doesn't benefit the area? Will it really be a drain on clean water and electric grids in the zones where they are built?
These are legitimate questions. Then there's the fear mongering, the demonization of "tech bros" and the foreign influence operations that wish to hamper the data centers growth.
Regardless of which side of the data center controversy, can we all agree that the lowest level of this discourse is the pandering politician?
This week, I enacted the strictest requirements IN THE NATION for AI data centers… but now I need your help.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) August 21, 2026
We’re launching a new website where you can tell us about data center projects in your area and your concerns about them.
Your feedback — in person, over text, in my…
The rest of the Tweet.
in my comment section — helped inform the Executive Order I signed this week that will block bad projects if the local community doesn’t want them. And your voice will help us stop bad-faith developers who try to bully their way into our communities with no regulation or oversight.
Recommended
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) August 21, 2026
Many people pointed out that the scary data centers include the very cloud service that the governor is using as his soapbox.
Are you hosting this website in the bottom of an empty Pringles tin?
— Enguerrand VII de Coucy (@ingelramdecoucy) August 21, 2026
A website, you say?
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) August 21, 2026
You literally are posting and hosting this using data centers.
— Usually Right (@normouspenis) August 22, 2026
Moron.
Embarrassing. Would expect you to provide a nuanced take and be pro business/tax revenue and here we are. Same DSA and far right doomerism slop.
— Lee Kuan Yimby (@LeeKuanYimby) August 21, 2026
Narrator: you wouldn't expect a mendacious politician to provide a nuanced take. Politicians will tell you that evil woodland spirits are poisoning the wells and he has the magic incantation that will save you if they thought it would get them elected. And Lee Kuan notes, Shapiro is riding the DSA wave in hopes that it will make him more electable.
This is insane, why give in to slopulism and the CCP?
— Samuel Stern (@RabbiSamStern) August 21, 2026
We against factories now too? Good paying jobs?
Don't forget them scary flyin' machines and horseless carriages!
FYI you look like the anti-electricity nuts from a century ago. Congrats on being regressive as fuck. pic.twitter.com/ITaDhe5wTf
— thx (@thx6969) August 21, 2026
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Yes, this was a real thing that happened.
Karens screamed and you listened
— The People's Cube (@ThePeoplesCube) August 21, 2026
Fear mongering, it's the new hotness! Why not? They worked all the Karens (of all genders) into a frenzy over Net Neutrality, a thing that no one understood but could hyperventilate about.
This message was brought to you by Claude — live from an AI data center near you pic.twitter.com/1ugPkf5B9y
— Reed Kinning (@reedkinning) August 22, 2026
LOL! What a perfect way to end this luddite take with the irony that Shapiro's staffer probably availed himself of a CPU intensive, water guzzling AI to generate the Tweet. (The em dash is the dead giveaway of AI written content).