They used to bring lots of jobs which didn’t require specialization. That’s not saying they didn’t have real negative impacts but that people were more willing to accept that as a tradeoff when it was a middle-class living for an entire neighborhood. Data centers are getting resistance now because anyone who lives nearby is getting pollution and higher prices with no compensation: they’re not going to work there and it won’t employ enough people to even boost home values.
Sadly we’re at the point where it’s a controversial position to argue that they shouldn’t receive tax cuts. It’s impressive how successfully faux-libertarian propaganda has been at breaking support for the idea that companies should pay for their impacts on others.
