This Lexington Dispatch editorial concedes a couple of key points in the ongoing debate over federal funding for rail improvements in North Carolina.
First, the Dispatch acknowledges while “state leaders often trumpet the arrival of federal funding…..ultimately that money still comes out of the wallets of North Carolinians, who pay federal taxes in addition to state and county taxes (and city taxes, too, for those who live in municipalities).” In the meantime, the federal deficit continues to rise, an “issue that must be addressed at some point as well.”
Second, the Dispatch acknowledges that Rep. Rayne Brown “may be correct that few people take advantage of rail transportation.”
However, none of this means the state should turn down federal funding for so-called high-speed rail.
