Letters to the Editor: Sand is wrong about data center moratorium

Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for governor, said in a recent news story that most folks don’t support a statewide moratorium on new data centers. Really? I think he’s flat-out wrong.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement has been working with people on data center issues for over 6 months now, and here’s what we’ve been seeing:

• Thousands of Iowans turning out to meetings, signing petitions and talking to their neighbors to stop data center projects.
• Twenty-three Iowa counties and five towns have passed moratoriums, with more on the way.
• 71% of Americans don’t want data centers in their communities, according to a March 2026 Gallup poll. 

That’s a lot of homegrown opposition, and it cuts across political and demographic groups.

People are legitimately concerned about these Big Tech monstrosities gobbling up our water, energy, farmland, tax dollars and more. And analysts are telling us the current AI data center expansion is way more than what we need for our day-to-day lives. So why the rush to build so many?

Political commentator and activist Jim Hightower calls the data center fightback “a populist rebellion against corporate rule.” I couldn’t agree more. Maybe he should be running for governor in Iowa.

Hugh Espey, Des Moines

Morain domestic policy

After reading this and many past articles by Rick Morain in the Times Pilot, I suggest: Rick Morain for President. And give him a big club.

Clay Conard, Stratford

Democratic Socialists of America platform

One in three Democrats consider themselves to be Democratic Socialists, according to the publication USA Today.

Most are young and white, but a number running for office are first generation from developing countries.

According to a Reuters poll, 47% of Americans don’t understand the Democratic Socialist policies, 49 say they do.  Twenty-seven percent say they have good ideas, while 51% says they are not good ideas. 

An illuminating perspective is from Jake Altman, who was a member of the Democratic Socialists of America from 2010-2022, as reported in the publication, “The Free Press.”  Mr. Altman, “witnessed a rise in extremism, ranging from an eagerness to collaborate with Leninist groups to a growing animosity to the United States and the West.” Other examples is their support for Palestinians, even though many of them support the terrorist group Hamas, which is supported by the designated state terrorism state, Iran.

So, what are those ideas and policy positions? 

Their new platform core principles are ending the Presidency, the Senate and the Supreme Court. Let that sink in for a moment.

Abolishing prisons, universal free housing, eliminating all debt, closing all military bases and eliminating Immigration and Custom enforcement.

Further, a 32-hour work week with full pay and benefits, a living minimum wage, free college and the cancellation of all student debt.  The strict regulation of private property and the imposition of universal rent control.

An amazing number of these politicians recently have achieved government offices, most notably, as some characterize him, the Muslim Marxist Mayor Mandami, from New York City.   Others winning primary elections, even against the progressive/socialist wing of the Democratic Party.

Most people would view this as an existential threat to democracy, as well as crazed utopian nonsense. However, the Democratic Socialists of America, an increasing powerful subset of the Democratic Party, is the source of the energy, enthusiasm and commitment to those policies.

Vic Massara, Omaha, Neb.

Bible relevance today

Does the Bible have any relevance for politics in 21st century America? Here’s a story for you.

God encouraged Ezekiel to use dramatic theater to get the attention of his Israelite people suffering deportation to Babylon in waves.

Ezekiel dug through the wall of his house by the river Chebar in Babylon, crawled through it with his belongings and carried them out into the street before an audience of the elders of Israel.

The message was that God would soon allow the rest of Judah to go homeless and to be led into abject captivity because of the waywardness of their haughty princely leaders back in Jerusalem. 

America is clearly also being taken captive by the ignorance, violence and economic greed of its political leadership today.

Many of our people have already gathered their remaining belongings and are wandering about the streets of the nation giving visible display to the sins, crimes and disabilities of America’s finest.

Also, innocent would-be Americans from south of the border are being savagely deported because of these same sins of greedy, racist politicians, not for any sins of their own.

Kimball Shinkoskey, Woods Cross, Utah