With Con Inc., It’s One Small Step Forward, One Giant Step Backward | 8/6/25

Why local land fights matter: ai data centers and the future of rural communities

This episode dives into how AI infrastructure and hyperscale data centers are quietly reshaping American land use, local politics, and energy grids. The host frames the crisis as a civil-rights era for property owners: when data centers gobble farmland, schools and neighborhoods feel the consequences of zoning decisions, power drain, and water stress.

conservative strategy failures and policy inconsistencies

“One step forward, ten steps back” is the episode’s central thesis. From immigration enforcement and crime policy to biomedical approvals, the podcast critiques short-term talking points that lack lasting follow-through. The host argues conservative media and party structures often adopt headlines without a governing agenda, producing rhetorical wins that evaporate when policy details matter.

biomedical surveillance, mRNA policy, and public-health tradeoffs

The discussion covers mRNA vaccine approvals, mixed White House actions on contracts and regulatory friction, and broader concerns about a biomedical surveillance state. The episode connects technocratic public-health impulses to the same industrial-government complex driving AI and data-center expansion.

immigration, labor markets, and visa policy

Practical policy details include the administration’s money for DHS, uneven ICE arrests, a 12-month visa-bond pilot for b1/b2 overstays, and criticism of H-1B politics. The host warns that short-term farm-labor talk without wage or technology incentives risks entrenching low-wage guest-worker dependency.

practical local wins and grassroots playbook

Local governments still hold power: the episode spotlights a Monroe County, Georgia victory rejecting a 1.2 gigawatt data center. It argues that property taxes, zoning rules, and local mobilization are the most effective defenses against unwanted industrial colonization and should be framed as a conservative land-preservation platform.

recommended focus areas and guardrails

• Push for an "AI bill of rights" and clear guardrails on data-center siting and environmental impact.
• Mobilize local zoning boards and county commissions to protect farmland and water resources.
• Demand consistent policy follow-through on immigration enforcement, crime, and biomedical approvals.

Across these themes the episode urges conservatives to build an affirmative, durable agenda rooted in property rights, local control, and a clear governing vision—rather than chasing viral talking points. For audiences searching for "how to stop data centers in my county" or "local zoning strategies for AI infrastructure," the episode offers a tactical call to action: organize locally, insist on feasibility studies, and treat land as the primary conservative resource to defend.