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Civitas Outlook
Topic
Politics
Published on
Mar 21, 2026
Contributors
Kevin Frazier

States Shouldn’t Reap AI Benefits Without Bearing Costs

Contributors
Kevin Frazier
Kevin Frazier
Senior Fellow
Kevin Frazier
Summary
In the long run prosperity and salvation are in union and not division. States racing to block data center construction have forgotten that lesson.
Summary
In the long run prosperity and salvation are in union and not division. States racing to block data center construction have forgotten that lesson.
Listen to this article

The Constitution “was framed upon the theory that the peoples of the several states must sink or swim together, and that in the long run prosperity and salvation are in union and not division.” States racing to block data center construction have forgotten that lesson. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and others echoing his idea to pause data centers are daring state legislators to take a short-term perspective that prioritizes state interests over the nation’s collective ambitions. If they have their way, Congress and states may delay or even deny data center construction for years.

It’s a policy position that may only make sense if you view the United States as 50 disparate political communities rather than a union. We had that discussion in 1787. Our forebears decided to ditch the Articles of Confederation for the Constitution and, in doing so, intended to ensure that no single state or collection of states could derail national policy priorities. It’s a conversation we’ve returned to in the intervening centuries.

Read the full article on Washington Examiner.

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