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Iowa's New Top Crop Is Server Farms
1sockchuck writes "Microsoft just confirmed that it will build a $500M data center in Iowa, following the lead of Google, which is nearing completion of a $600M facility in the state. Boosted by generous tax incentives and affordable power, Iowa is prevailing in a fierce competition with other states for these huge data center projects for tech titans. Iowa officials say they intend to leverage that track record to attract even more projects in a bid to transform the state into a mecca for server farms." The Economist covers this trend more broadly, focusing on Washington state and Iceland angling to become server-farm destinations.
There is more than just that. Washington state has about the lowest electricity rates in the world from all the hydro-electric generation.
Iowa Values Fund (IVF)
It is pretty much a sellers market when it comes to big industrial/commercial development. The data center guys can afford to shop around for the best set of tax breaks, tax credits and other sweetheart deals.
[Fuck Beta]
o0t!
Yeah, well the project is going to bring only 75 jobs to Iowa. I suspect most of the employees will be transferred in from out of state. If BillG had his way, they'd all be hired from India on H-1B visas for $15k per year.
Tax cuts are not welfare.
If you decide not to hold up a liquor store, that's not a generous gift you've given the liquor store owner.
Welfare is taking from one group to support another group.
If you do not pay taxes, but you consume government provided resources, then the government is taking from one group to support you.
Ergo, tax breaks (which is what we are talking about here, not actual cuts) are welfare.
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
I still don't understand. Why are "a very small number of low-paid jobs" not a good thing again? Any small number is larger than zero.
Opportunity cost. The money could have been spent to bring in more jobs that pay better.
Well, google's data center is in Council Bluffs (or counciltucky as we Omahogs call it) so Iowa would have some troubles on their hands if the Mississippi flooded it. They may have some more trouble with the Missouri river. Then again, they're on the bluffs, so unless they specifically built it in the floodplain, they're probably fine.
Bloody hell, they hear about some flooding in the news and suddenly the entire state is at risk...
Difference between protection money and taxes - whether or not the collectors use baseball bats and guns or handcuffs and guns.