Rep. Ric Killian, R-Mecklenburg, is introducing legislation ordering the state Department of Transportation to reject any offer of “money” from Washington to build high-speed rail unless the project has been approved by the General Assembly. (Money quote from the N&O: The improvements will cut a projected 13 minutes from travel times between Raleigh and Charlotte because trains will be able to run faster in places where they now are required to slow down.)

The legislation is a direct rebuke of Gov. Bev Perdue’s appeal to D.C. for $500 million in transit funding. The Perdue administration believes it has won a commitment for the dough.

I bracketed money in quotes, because Washington is more than $14 trillion in debt, and rail projects run horrific operating deficits. It may be tempting to seek free cash from somewhere else (China, maybe?) to build worthwhile infrastructure people will use. But high-speed rail ain’t that. (Besides, it’s not that speedy, either.) It’s a boondoggle that will not ease traffic congestion. We could not afford it when times were booming. It’s sheer folly now, notwithstanding the cheerleading it receives from addled “progressives,” city leaders, and  newspaper editorial boards.