Elon Musk and a group of artificial intelligence experts and industry executives are calling for a six-month pause

mvd61
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7/17/2026 12:39pm
APLMAN99 wrote:
The local data centers in NCW have produced more permanent jobs than originally expected, but obviously not quite the same as a factory using the same...

The local data centers in NCW have produced more permanent jobs than originally expected, but obviously not quite the same as a factory using the same amount of energy historically does.  

The tough part about data centers in general and AI computing centers specifically is that they are pretty much a necessary evil at this point.  If we were do decide that we were not going to allow any more to be built in the country, we would fall pretty far behind the rest of the world (especially China) and find ourselves at a disadvantage not just economically, but also when it comes to how these are used for our military plans.  

On the flip side, these facilities should be generating massive amounts of property tax revenue for the localities they are built in, but competition between locations to build them has led to tax exemptions that often keep them paying a micro-fraction of the actual amount of their worth for years and even decades after buildout.  

It's a conundrum from almost every angle, but the one thing that is becoming apparent is something that I said several months ago.  We are getting close to deciding whether water is more valuable for human life or for our modern technology.  

There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah go ahead and give the corporations an easy W. They really need it in these trying times. I’m not sure I can hate government anymore than I already do. 

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APLMAN99
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7/17/2026 4:48pm
APLMAN99 wrote:
The local data centers in NCW have produced more permanent jobs than originally expected, but obviously not quite the same as a factory using the same...

The local data centers in NCW have produced more permanent jobs than originally expected, but obviously not quite the same as a factory using the same amount of energy historically does.  

The tough part about data centers in general and AI computing centers specifically is that they are pretty much a necessary evil at this point.  If we were do decide that we were not going to allow any more to be built in the country, we would fall pretty far behind the rest of the world (especially China) and find ourselves at a disadvantage not just economically, but also when it comes to how these are used for our military plans.  

On the flip side, these facilities should be generating massive amounts of property tax revenue for the localities they are built in, but competition between locations to build them has led to tax exemptions that often keep them paying a micro-fraction of the actual amount of their worth for years and even decades after buildout.  

It's a conundrum from almost every angle, but the one thing that is becoming apparent is something that I said several months ago.  We are getting close to deciding whether water is more valuable for human life or for our modern technology.  

mvd61 wrote:
There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah...

There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah go ahead and give the corporations an easy W. They really need it in these trying times. I’m not sure I can hate government anymore than I already do. 

Yeah, but that’s what local and state governments do. They try to compete for the businesses to locate within their jurisdiction because they believe that the jobs created will outweigh the tax exemptions during the initial stages of the project. Most of the time those tax exemptions sunset, but if the property taxes are significant enough the company can just start the process all over again with other locations while offloading the property that was exempted but now is, or should be, fully taxed. 

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mvd61
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7/17/2026 5:01pm Edited Date/Time 7/17/2026 5:12pm
APLMAN99 wrote:
The local data centers in NCW have produced more permanent jobs than originally expected, but obviously not quite the same as a factory using the same...

The local data centers in NCW have produced more permanent jobs than originally expected, but obviously not quite the same as a factory using the same amount of energy historically does.  

The tough part about data centers in general and AI computing centers specifically is that they are pretty much a necessary evil at this point.  If we were do decide that we were not going to allow any more to be built in the country, we would fall pretty far behind the rest of the world (especially China) and find ourselves at a disadvantage not just economically, but also when it comes to how these are used for our military plans.  

On the flip side, these facilities should be generating massive amounts of property tax revenue for the localities they are built in, but competition between locations to build them has led to tax exemptions that often keep them paying a micro-fraction of the actual amount of their worth for years and even decades after buildout.  

It's a conundrum from almost every angle, but the one thing that is becoming apparent is something that I said several months ago.  We are getting close to deciding whether water is more valuable for human life or for our modern technology.  

mvd61 wrote:
There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah...

There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah go ahead and give the corporations an easy W. They really need it in these trying times. I’m not sure I can hate government anymore than I already do. 

APLMAN99 wrote:
Yeah, but that’s what local and state governments do. They try to compete for the businesses to locate within their jurisdiction because they believe that the...

Yeah, but that’s what local and state governments do. They try to compete for the businesses to locate within their jurisdiction because they believe that the jobs created will outweigh the tax exemptions during the initial stages of the project. Most of the time those tax exemptions sunset, but if the property taxes are significant enough the company can just start the process all over again with other locations while offloading the property that was exempted but now is, or should be, fully taxed. 

Yessir, I understand how it works. I’m saying it should not be possible anywhere. 

Here’s a Connecticut town removing their flock cameras. An FOIA request showed that in a short amount of time third parties accessed that towns flock info 590,000 times. This isn’t only for safety.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/two-towns-end-contracts-with-automated-license-plate-reader-company-flock-safety/3755508/?amp=1

Edited to add url. 

truck
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7/17/2026 5:20pm

Fuck data centers. 

I put some of my own time and money into fighting one last year. They wanted to put up huge buildings in the middle of miles upon miles of beautiful horse farms. It backed up to the property of some friends of ours and would have absolutely destroyed their property. Bunch of back room dealing with scummy local politicians before anyone even knew it was happening. Tried to get it rezoned from ag land without anyone noticing. They could have went 20 miles up the road and had as much land as they wanted for far cheaper and no headaches, but shitting all over a community worked a little better logistically for them and they almost seemed to take delight in it. We had enough money and energy behind it to make them move on and let the local politicians know to never try it again, but not everyone is going to be that fortunate. Build whatever the hell you want to but stop trying to build it in people's back yard. 

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APLMAN99
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7/17/2026 5:25pm
mvd61 wrote:
There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah...

There shouldn’t be any tax exemptions for these dat centers. That’s fucking bullshit. Boils my blood. We get to pay every stupid fucking tax but yeah go ahead and give the corporations an easy W. They really need it in these trying times. I’m not sure I can hate government anymore than I already do. 

APLMAN99 wrote:
Yeah, but that’s what local and state governments do. They try to compete for the businesses to locate within their jurisdiction because they believe that the...

Yeah, but that’s what local and state governments do. They try to compete for the businesses to locate within their jurisdiction because they believe that the jobs created will outweigh the tax exemptions during the initial stages of the project. Most of the time those tax exemptions sunset, but if the property taxes are significant enough the company can just start the process all over again with other locations while offloading the property that was exempted but now is, or should be, fully taxed. 

mvd61 wrote:
Yessir, I understand how it works. I’m saying it should not be possible anywhere. Here’s a Connecticut town removing their flock cameras. An FOIA request showed that...

Yessir, I understand how it works. I’m saying it should not be possible anywhere. 

Here’s a Connecticut town removing their flock cameras. An FOIA request showed that in a short amount of time third parties accessed that towns flock info 590,000 times. This isn’t only for safety.

https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/two-towns-end-contracts-with-automated-license-plate-reader-company-flock-safety/3755508/?amp=1

Edited to add url. 

It’s not just tax exemptions, it’s waivers of existing zoning and planning regulations, ‘temporary’ environmental impact exemptions, or any number of creative ‘incentives’ that can be implemented. 

That’s not limited to data centers, it’s the standard for nearly any new major project or relocation.  

Back in my hometown, a large apartment building corporation wanted to build a pretty large project with 200+ units near downtown. They didn’t want to have to ‘waste’ more than one level for parking so they asked for a variance from the minimum parking space ordinance. They promised, but didn’t guarantee in writing it now appears, that they would make around 20-25% of the units ‘affordable’ units that would accept subsidized tenants. After construction plans were approved and physical construction was well along, they announced that they wouldn’t be making any of the units available for subsidized tenants because it just didn’t pencil out for them. 

The real problem is that this is their 4th project that has been granted parking space exemptions and local developers have been rejected when applying for those same exemptions for decades. 

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mvd61
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mvd61
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byke
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7/19/2026 1:37pm

Was it a subsidized daycare?

mvd61
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7/21/2026 10:15am

Flocks largest donor reportedly exchanged over 2000 emails with Epstein. NBD. Where are those files?

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Dudley
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9/15/2026 5:18am

The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔  some have suggested there’s more than 10% chance AI will destroy the world in 10 years 🤷🏼‍♂️ 

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byke
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9/15/2026 6:00am
Dudley wrote:
The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔...

The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔  some have suggested there’s more than 10% chance AI will destroy the world in 10 years 🤷🏼‍♂️ 

And the gubmint just stated they have no interest in regulating it. It's literally their job. We have no need for them if they don't. 

9/15/2026 6:20am
Dudley wrote:
The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔...

The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔  some have suggested there’s more than 10% chance AI will destroy the world in 10 years 🤷🏼‍♂️ 

Are there concerns real or are they trying to restrict their competitors?

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SKlein
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9/15/2026 6:54am

Are there concerns real or are they trying to restrict their competitors?

"destroy the world" may be extreme, but there absolutely needs to be some form of regulation upheld. A few examples that come to mind:

AI music takes likeness (voice cloning) and reproduces/repurposes it with no consent from artists. The only current control point is existing US copyright laws. This can also apply to art in a general sense, but music is a quickly growing example.

Grok was producing images of CSAM on request before their team stepped in to restrict prompts. Some users were criminally charged, but no punishment for the company that opened the door for it to happen, a weird gray area.

Similar to copyright laws, there's existing measures, but there isn't a federal policy that controls what sensitive data every AI company can collect, how long it can retain it, whether it can train on it, or how a user can force that information back out of an AI system.

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ns503
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9/15/2026 7:30am

Not regulating AI, when the rest of our lives is regulated so much (some needed some not), is just ludicrous. 

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T-MAC
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9/15/2026 7:58am

They are bleeding massive amounts of cash. If they IPO now the bubble will pop. So, inject more fear to increase value and buy themselves more time. How many AI developers are currently in AI psychosis themselves? It's a manipulative echo chamber. 

Look at stocks for cybersecurity companies the past few days...

AI has not proven any meaningful return in the private sector. But they need private sector support (and funding) to continue with this effort.

They tried to take a page out of the railroad expansion book in this country. The problem is people saw tangible improvements in their lives, and were more empowered from that new physical means of connecting us more efficiently. They didn't face the resistance we see today, shocker...

Fed gave two RR companies a ton of land to build tracks, and a ton of land surrounding that. The RR companies built the tracks, then sold the land along it to people. Those people then used the RR as a vehicle for development and growth.

Altman? He wants to sell you compute power... Something our brains do incredibly well already, before the strategic dumbing down of society.

It is only valuable for surveillance, war, controlling people, and the continued fracturing of a shared reality.

Wars are no longer physically won in the traditional sense. They are digital. Control minds, critical infrastructure, etc.

US trying to employ our WWII strategy again to maintain global supremacy but I haven't seen a shred of evidence that it will work. In fact, I see the opposite.

And for the malcontents, I love this nation and the people that make it what it is.

We need to remove ourselves from the empire of illusion we've built. Then we will start making good decisions.

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Dudley
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9/15/2026 8:49am
Dudley wrote:
The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔...

The AI news is ramping up recently. According to several AI companies, they created a monster and need the worlds governments to help stop it 🤔  some have suggested there’s more than 10% chance AI will destroy the world in 10 years 🤷🏼‍♂️ 

Are there concerns real or are they trying to restrict their competitors?

Don’t know much about AI honestly. To put in terms that my simple brain can process, I view it as Kawasaki and Honda bringing back the 500 two stroke and doubling the HP every few years then asking the government for help to stop doubling the horsepower. But not willing to do it themselves cause they don’t want to lose the edge against competitors. (Assuming the demand is through the roof for monster two strokes) 

SlowPoke502
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9/15/2026 10:05am

Something happened that scared Musk and the group. Of course, us peasants never know.

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