Recently, I was on an extended business trip across the United States that ultimately touched upon planes, trains, automobiles, ships, bridges and majestic skyscrapers. Along the way, I honestly paused in awe to marvel at modern jetliners; the engines pulling passenger and freight trains cross-country; driverless taxis; four-football-field-long megacruise ships; the George Washington and the Golden Gate bridges; and 60-story-plus office towers in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

As I pondered them all over the course of the trip, I had two immediate thoughts. The first being that, in one way or another, those modes of transportation and that stunning and often historic infrastructure all held human life within and upon them. The second was that all were devised and built via meritocracy.

DEI, identity politics and woke dictates played no role in their construction. Nor should they ever, when what is being designed and built will eventually determine the safety of human lives.

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My third and overriding thought was: "That’s all about to be thrown out the window once the ‘religion’ of wokeism comes roaring back into play across the spectrum of our lives." If you think otherwise, I most humbly believe you either have not been paying attention to current events or are fooling yourself via the cliché: "Ignorance is bliss."

To be clear, I don’t care if someone is female, male, Black, White, brown, straight, gay, trans, liberal, conservative, faith-based or an atheist. If that person happens to be the best person for the job based solely upon merit and real-world experience, they should get it. Period.

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But if that person is being inserted into the flight deck of a commercial aircraft; the control tower of an airport; the bridge of a military or commercial ship; behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler; into a police force or fire department; or behind the controls of a major utility simply because of "identity politics," then the lives in the hands of those occupations are exposed to much higher risk simply to appease an ideological narrative.

There are many people — myself included — who strongly believe that DEI never went away. That it was never "defeated" or "crippled." Rather, we believe that it was placed in a purposeful "sleeper mode" by the powerful prophets of "woke" who were simply biding their time while riding out the peak influence of President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement.

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If the Democrats retake control of the House of Representatives — and quite possibly the Senate — on Nov. 3, expect those identity-politics-pushing prophets to signal their various flocks to fire up the DEI machines across the corporate, academic, political, media and governmental spectrums.

As a stark reminder of the malicious power DEI can wield, we have these exposés: the first being the recent report from the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) which outlined in detail that his agency uncovered "irrefutable evidence that the nation's largest banks have denied, debanked and discriminated against customers and lawful businesses."

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No surprise at all that many of those targeted were conservative or faith-based. Regarding this seemingly DEI-fueled discrimination, Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould stressed in part: "Americans should have access to financial services regardless of their beliefs, affiliations, or political views."

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., told Fox News Digital: "Debanking Americans over faith or politics is simply un-American. Expect to hear more from the Banking Committee on this important issue when Congress returns."

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U.S. banks targeting elements of their own customer base because of politics and faith because they happen to operate via the dictates of woke and staffed via identity politics is not only chilling, but dangerous. And yet, such illicit conduct not only exists, but might soon be dialed up to "blast."

Going back to the DEI-compromised airline industry, we first have this recent editorial from The Wall Street Journal: "Flying the Socialist Skies at United CEO Scott Kirby wants a wealth tax. How about more leg room instead?"

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Kirby, who, according to the Journal, made over $32 million in compensation last year, now wants to tackle "wealth inequality" in the United States. Of course he does. Not surprising, as he has seemingly long been a fan of woke and DEI.

Back in 2021, Kirby pushed DEI hiring practices to the max by stating in part: "Over the next decade, United will train 5,000 pilots who will be guaranteed a job with United after they complete the requirements of the Aviate program — and our plan is for half of them to be women and people of color."

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Kirby continued: "We're excited that JPMorgan Chase has agreed to support our work to diversify our pilot ranks and create new opportunities for thousands of women and people of color who want to pursue a career in aviation."

JPMorgan. Interesting. Would anyone be surprised to learn that JPMorgan has also been implicated in the "debanking" scandal?

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I have a wild idea for Kirby: How about hiring only the most-qualified pilots based entirely upon merit? And if half of them happen to be women and minorities, all the better.

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The planes we fly; the ships we sail; the trains that move us from city to city; the bridges we cross; and the skyscrapers we ascend via elevator are all testaments to genius and meritocracy. But very soon, all may be designed and built not by the most qualified, but someone who checks an ideological identity politics box.

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DEI is about to come back with a vengeance if political control switches hands on Nov. 3. If — and when — it does, the lives of countless Americans will be put at more risk in service to woke over merit.

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With the midterm elections approaching, data centers have become an increasingly popular political target. Politicians are raising alarms about their impact on communities, with some calling for construction moratoriums or outright bans.

There's been plenty of fearmongering. But the more Americans learn about data centers, and the more communities experience their benefits firsthand, the stronger the case for continued development becomes.

Data centers have existed for decades, but the rapid growth of artificial intelligence has dramatically increased the demand for computing power. Americans understandably have questions about what this development means for electricity prices, water supplies, and their quality of life. Newer facilities are increasingly being designed with technologies that can address these concerns, including closed-loop cooling systems and quieter operations.

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Yet much of the national debate overlooks what data centers are already delivering to communities across America.

Take Ellendale, North Dakota, a town of 1,100 people. Before Applied Digital's new $11 billion data center development, the town collected roughly $400,000 annually in sales taxes. In the first seven months of 2026 alone, that figure jumped to $3.5 million.

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That revenue is helping the city repave its roads and renovate its senior center. A historic opera house is being restored. For a small town, this kind of investment can transform the community for generations.

And Ellendale is far from alone.

Schools across America are seeing enormous benefits from the data center boom.

In Richland Parish, Louisiana, Meta's massive investment has helped fund an increase in annual teacher bonuses ranging from $10,000 to $50,000.

Think about what that means for a working family. Teachers who have dedicated their careers to educating children are receiving a life-changing financial benefit, while the school district becomes an attractive destination for talented educators.

It's hard to imagine a politician campaigning against higher teacher pay or better schools. Yet those are precisely the kinds of benefits communities stand to lose when development gets blocked.

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The benefits extend to homeowners struggling with the rising cost of living.

In Loudoun County, Virginia, data centers generate 45% of county revenue. That enormous tax base has allowed local officials to cut homeowner property tax rates every year for a decade.

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In neighboring Henrico County, local leaders used data center revenue to fund a $60 million Affordable Housing Trust Fund, helping young families and first-time buyers purchase homes.

At a time when housing affordability is dominating political conversations, building data centers is helping some communities make the American Dream a little easier to achieve.

Electricity prices are another major concern, and understandably so. Families are already struggling with higher utility bills, and the arrival of a major new industrial customer can raise legitimate questions about who pays for new infrastructure.

But the enormous, predictable electricity demand from data centers also creates opportunities to finance new generation and grid investments, spreading infrastructure costs across a larger customer base.

In Georgia, agreements involving new large electricity customers, including OpenAI, are projected to lower residential power bills by $180 annually by 2029.

With the right arrangements in place, the arrival of data centers can mean lower costs for the families already living in these communities.

And the benefits extend well beyond tax revenue and household expenses.

Trade unions have been among the most vocal supporters of data centers because of the good-paying jobs they create. Building these facilities requires years of work for skilled tradesmen, with new projects creating opportunities for the next generation of American workers.

In Baltimore, Maryland, IBEW Local 24 expanded its membership by 50% alongside data center construction. In Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, IBEW Local 163 doubled its ranks following construction of an Amazon data center.

Politicians have spent decades promising to bring back good-paying blue-collar jobs. Here is an industry creating enormous demand for exactly those workers.

Of course, developers have a responsibility to work with residents and local governments to address legitimate concerns. Communities deserve clear answers about electricity costs and water use. They should also understand how the investments taking place in their backyards will benefit local families.

But when data centers are developed responsibly, the economic benefits can be enormous. Communities are rebuilding roads and improving schools. Homeowners are seeing lower tax burdens, and skilled workers are finding new opportunities.

For decades, politicians have campaigned on championing the Forgotten Man and bringing economic opportunity back to communities that have struggled to attract investment.

Now, data centers are delivering billions of dollars in private investment to many of those very places.

We're watching a new industrial boom take shape across America, creating jobs and revitalizing communities that Washington has spent decades promising to help. Before politicians rush to stop it, they ought to take a serious look at what those communities are gaining.

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And they should consider what their constituents stand to lose.