Fascinating example of the great place to live vs. great place to visit issue. Except this is more the flip side: Crap place to live vs. crap place to visit.

Some guy passing through Dillon County on I-95 sees Pedro and the infamous South of the Border complex and deduces, ah-ha!, the town of Dillon must belong in his new book, The Absolutely Worst Places to Live in America.

But this is a terrible confusion. Let’s assume that South of the Border is a horribly tacky place to visit — although I like tacky — it does not follow that Dillon is a horrible place to live. Nor does it follow that just because Disney World is a great place to visit, Orlando must be a great place to live. Simple.

But evidently not to the civic leaders of far too many towns and cities, Charlotte especially. We have repeatedly opted to spend money on tourist traps every bit as calculated as South of the Border, and neglected to fund basic services in the bargain.

And it doesn’t much worse than that.