Data Centers, Subsidies, and Electricity in Platte County and across Missouri
Artificial intelligence and data centers have been the subject of extensive discussion in recent months. Do we need a massive...
Is Consumer-Regulated Electricity Going Worldwide?
Electricity demand from data centers is exploding. This surge has spurred an intense buildout of new generation capacity, as businesses...
Weighing Consumer Regulated Electricity to Meet Energy Demand Growth
The Missouri Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 4 to address concerns about the state’s energy future. Much of the bill...
Kansas City’s Data Center Boom: Another Costly Gamble
Kansas City has offered billions in incentives to attract massive data centers from Meta and Google, hoping to secure long-term...
Jackson County Assessment Disputes Will (Hopefully) Lead to Real Change This Time
A version of this commentary appeared in the Examiner. It’s an obscure state law that every article about government and politics...
What to Make of Big Tech’s Pivot to Nuclear
The American nuclear industry is making headlines seemingly every week, with developments in construction, innovation, legislation, and regulation. Recently, there...
Teacher Pay: You Can Go with This, or You Can Go with That
The 2001 music video for “Weapon of Choice,” a big beat, electronic song by Fatboy Slim (with Bootsy Collins), featured...
Just the Fax, Ma’am: Dubious “Rankings” Press Release Emphasizes Importance of Transparency (part 1)
Last month, Governor Mike Parson’s office posted the following infographic on its website to minor fanfare: Unsurprisingly, this document found...
Plugging the Port Hole
A recent column by Dave Helling in The Kansas City Star called for Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas to challenge...
Port KC Versus Taxpayers
Steve Vockrodt over at The Kansas City Star has a story about Google wanting to invest $600 million in a...
Like Google, Amazon Wants Good Government over Gimmickry
The imaginations of municipal governments across the country have been captured by the prospect of being chosen as the location...
Creating a Field of Dreams for the American Royal
With the World Series in full swing, I’m reminded of a quote from one of my favorite sports movies, Field...
Kansas City Star Defends Corporate Welfare, Again
Yael Abouhalkah of the Kansas City Star blogs today in defense of the earnings tax and against my call to curb cronyism in Kansas...
KMOX Interview on Mizzou’s Problems
Earlier today I had the chance to speak with Mark Reardon on KMOX about my Mizzou commentary, published over at...
SEMO May Embrace All-You-Can-Eat Education
Funnyman Owen Wilson describes the University of Phoenix as “the Harvard of Internet colleges” during an interview with Google in...
Transit of the Future; You Read It Here First
“Futurist” Zack Kanter wrote for Business Insider that the coming autonomous, or self-driving, cars will reshape the U.S. economy. While...
Kansas City’s War On The Future
With all the political rhetoric floating around Kansas City, one would think the city is embracing high technology and forward-looking,...
On Transit, Kansas City Looks Backward
Subject to a possible contract rebid, Kansas City’s political leadership seems on the brink of accomplishing something that has eluded...
It Is Hip To Be Square
Kansas City leaders have sacrificed much at the altar of cool. But arguably the coolest thing to happen to the...
Transforming Vacant Land
Usually, food on trains is nothing to brag about. A quick Google search showed that Amtrak actually has a chicken...
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