The High-Speed Case for State Control of Transportation Funding

Conn Carroll / November 11, 2010

The Obama administration is still in denial about the message the American people sent Washington last Tuesday. In letters to Ohio Governor-elect John Kasich and Wisconsin Governor-elect Scott Walker, obtained by Reuters, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood threatened to take away stimulus money from the states unless they used it for President Barack Obama’s high-speed rail plans. LaHood wrote:

I respect the authority of governors to make decisions for their states. If, however, you choose not to participate in the program, we would like to engage in an orderly transition to wind down Ohio’s involvement in the project so that we do not waste taxpayers’ money.

There is only one waste of money going on here and that is President Obama’s high speed rail plans. Heritage fellow Ron Utt has written extensively on why high-speed rail is such a financial disaster: (more…)