To the editor:

Data centers demand too much electricity and water. New housing and small businesses need water and electricity. There will not be enough water for the housing industry and keeping enough electricity will become a challenge. Excessive demands promote more inflation. Big corporations demand preferential tax codes, which I say is corporate welfare.

Are financial institutions engaging in risky lending practices regarding data centers? Do taxpayers want to be ordered to bail out these giant operations when they begin to fail?

Last, but certainly not least, we don’t need these data centers. We need fiscally responsible investments rather than quick profiteering for the few. There is zero hard evidence to back up the need for data centers. It is speculation, pure and simple. Make no mistake about it, white-collar profiteers and politicians are not trustworthy sources of support.

When huge projects surface, we taxpaying citizens need to ask questions such as, are new housing and small business more important? Absolutely! Yes, we need to save our farmland for food as well.

Richard Heckler,

Lawrence