Davy Crockett: Rolling in His Grave
To review: The State has no business promoting, subsidizing, or operating museums, theaters, recording studios, publishing houses, athletic fields, etc.
That said, I’m sure there are some people in the State of Texas who object to the use of “public” funds, for the purchase of an old piece of paper. It’s too bad for them that the Texas Historical Commission purchased what is believed to be the last letter written by Tennessee congressman Davy Crockett, before he died defending the Alamo.
The state bought the letter for $490,000 from Simpson Galleries, a Houston fine arts auctioneer. . . The document likely could have sold for a much higher price in an open auction, Simpson said, but the family wanted to offer it to Texas first.
Half a million dollars. For a stupid piece of paper. It is hurricane season, after all. Might be wiser to save that largess for potential destruction following one of the five hurricanes in the forecast. Would it be fair to assume that Texas doesn’t plan on asking for Federal assistance in the event of catastrophic losses? Don’t count on it.
If he wanted the State to have the letter, he could’ve given it to them on loan, reserving the right to sell it later. He could’ve sold it conditionally, stipulating that the letter would remain on loan to the State. Clearly, money was not his only motivation, else he would’ve auctioned it instead. I do not blame him for selling the letter to Texas, I only regret that Texas has been allowed to purchase it, and the citizens have been forced to finance it.
Something tells me Crockett would be appalled, too.
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Questions…
–Is “the last letter written by Davey Crockett” a legitimate public good?
–Should airlines …
Hey, check it out, as there is a nice article about doubts being raised about the authenticity of the davy crockett letter.
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-crockett-letter,0,3688991.story
[...] if it’s not bad enough that the state of Texas spent $490,000 to purchase what is purportedly the last letter written by Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, [...]