The Logic-less Crusade That Just Killed a Data Center

Key Takeaways

Blocking a $5 billion investment carries consequences for Prince George’s County, which already faces a $130 million budget deficit.

Meet Taylor Frazier McCollum. McCollum just led a successful movement to block the construction of a $5 billion data center campus in Prince George’s County, Md. Simultaneously, McCollum is upset that her county’s government will not pay for a new roof for her grandfather’s home. Somehow, McCollum cannot see the connection between these two things. In an interview with NPR, she explained that the data center project prompted her political “awakening” and boasted that “so many people are depending on this fight to be successful.”

Are they? Prince George’s County is not in good shape. It has a budget deficit of more than $130 million. Unemployment is high. Last year, the Six Flags amusement park there closed permanently, and in the next few years, the NFL team intends to move out. The FBI is also trying to leave. McCollum’s father believes that his daughter is a hero in the mold of Medgar Evers, who was killed trying to integrate Mississippi’s schools, or of Martin Luther King. “People like Taylor,” he says, “jump out here so the people behind them get to make progress.”

About the Author

Charles C. W. Cooke

Charles C. W. Cooke is a senior editor at National Review and the host of The Charles C. W. Cooke Podcast.

Featured Tags

Key Takeaways

Blocking a $5 billion investment carries consequences for Prince George’s County, which already faces a $130 million budget deficit.
Demanding public benefits while driving away businesses undermines the tax base that funds them.

Meet Taylor Frazier McCollum. McCollum just led a successful movement to block the construction of a $5 billion data center campus in Prince George’s County, Md. Simultaneously, McCollum is upset that her county’s government will not pay for a new roof for her grandfather’s home. Somehow, McCollum cannot see the connection between these two things. In an interview with NPR, she explained that the data center project prompted her political “awakening” and boasted that “so many people are depending on this fight to be successful.”

Are they? Prince George’s County is not in good shape. It has a budget deficit of more than $130 million. Unemployment is high. Last year, the Six Flags amusement park there closed permanently, and in the next few years, the NFL team intends to move out. The FBI is also trying to leave. McCollum’s father believes that his daughter is a hero in the mold of Medgar Evers, who was killed trying to integrate Mississippi’s schools, or of Martin Luther King. “People like Taylor,” he says, “jump out here so the people behind them get to make progress.”