Letters for Thursday, June 25

Data center concerns

Massive data centers to allow for rapid expansion of AI are in the news recently. Many communities are realizing that there are serious problems associated with them such as tower and water consumption.

Allowing data centers to pay industrial rates for electricity often causes rates to skyrocket for residential users. Data centers use gargantuan amounts of water to cool their servers, resulting in very hot wastewater that must be disposed of. Frequently sited in the arid West, they can run wells dry and raise water rates.

Because expansion has been so swift and unregulated, 70% of all Americans are now opposed to data centers. And because some communities have given tax breaks to the AI companies, leaving taxpayers footing the bill for infrastructure, grassroots resistance to allow time to assess costs and benefits is now the norm, both in Seattle and more recently Spokane.

Europe has gotten ahead of the planned expansion by regulating growth in advance. They realize that the social license to build is the most valuable permit a developer holds – once you’ve lost the public, you’ve lost the buildout. Among other things, European regulations require data centers to fully fund infrastructure, including electricity, water and roads, rather than passing that cost onto ratepayers. Green energy is required, instead of building new coal or gas burning power plants.

We should take a lesson from Europe. Whether or not we want AI, if we are forced to have it, the companies should bear the full cost of development.

Deidre McAuliffe

Loon Lake

More cuts coming soon

In six more months, come Jan. 1, more of the cuts from the Republicans’ Big Beautiful Bill Act will be enacted. For those of you who thought that our members of Congress cared about the average American citizen and wanted to help make life more affordable, January may pose a rude awakening. There will be more cuts to Medicaid which will cause millions more people to be unable to afford or have access to medical care. Work requirements that require all who receive assistance to regularly document and complete paperwork will be in place and assistance will depend upon completion and documentation of this paperwork. Community healthcare programs that provide care to those who receive Medicaid will be faced with budget shortfalls threatening staff layoffs, service reductions, or complete closures. In some instances, hospitals will be forced to close. Some clinics and medical specialties will be forced to close as well.

Republicans voted to make these cuts while giving billionaires hefty tax cuts.

What can you do? Vote! Learn about your representative so that you are prepared to elect someone who cares about you and your needs.

If you live in Washington state’s 5th Congressional District, your representative is Michael Baumgartner. He has voted with MAGA Republicans 100% of the time, knowing that his constituents will be negatively affected by cuts to healthcare, Medicaid and SNAP. Now he is ready to vote for cuts to Medicare and Social Security.

It’s past time to elect someone who actually represents our district!

Ginny Hauser

Pullman

Politics is not war

The article about candidates who work across the aisle or find common ground with people in a different party reflects exactly what is wrong with the far-left and far-right in both parties (“Candidates face backlash for finding common ground across aisle,” June 21).

Most Americans are center, center-left or center-right. Commonality is the center. To yell and harass someone for talking to, working with or being friends with those who may have different views is insufferable, boorish behavior. Our government isn’t functioning because both parties have a winner-take-all attitude and demand that everyone conform to their way of things.

The Democrats are the thought police, can’t think this or say that if you do then you are wrong. The Republicans the behavior police, must go to church, must not get an abortion.

The comparison of politics to “The Art of War” is insane. Politics is not war. Government works best when it works for everyone, when compromise is found and legislation passed where neither party gets everything, but both sides get something. The country will move forward when people get out of their bubbles and talk to each other and those elected search for common ground and legislation that will improve the lives of all Americans.

Christine Carlile

Spokane