The Greensboro City Council is comprised entirely of socialists. However, there is somewhat of a divide among these socialists.
The recently elected contingent is mostly comprised of more committed, rabid Marxists. Those who had been on the council previously might be regarded as more conventional socialists such as those we have seen in North Carolina for many years. We thus have two groups within our city council.
The former group tended to favor the moratorium, whereas the latter tended to oppose it.
The issue of AI data centers is bewildering because there has been a barrage of claims and counterclaims with regard to their impacts. However, one thing is clear. They have the potential to bring enormous amounts of tax revenue into local units of government. That gives them the wherewithal to expand their territory in a ravenous, acquisitive fashion; and to shower largesse upon their employees from top to bottom.
I suspect those who voted down the moratorium were motivated by a desire to bring more tax revenues into our local government. Remember they had voted to increase our taxes nearly 18 percent just a month ago; and that nearly 60 percent of the increased tax revenues would go to city employees.
Regardless of how they justify their votes verbally, it is intuitively clear what their motivations were.
Data centers are essential to a thriving economy. Convince me they are not.
I can’t convince you they are not, Fred. I wish our prospects for economic vitality were not highly dependent on AI. It shouldn’t be that way.