I’m not suggesting that opposition is limited to the rubes, but the fact is that it is yet another issue for which the middle and working classes feel that they’re bearing the costs while the wealthiest reap the benefits.
That is the main fuel of populist resentment toward the elites.
Framing this as class warfare or national defense is just a distraction. The real problem is the sheer economic madness of the current build-out. We are spending $$$Trillions to build capacity that goes way beyond our current needs. It makes no sense, especially when you consider that the AI models and system architectures of tomorrow are constantly shifting. We are locking ourselves into massive, permanent physical costs for technology that will likely be obsolete in a few years. This wastefulness is going to have massive economic consequences.