Pictured left is "Liberty." Liberty was brought to the Carolina Raptor Center on Memorial Day after sustaining injuries she likely would have died from in the wild. The fatastic team of staff and volunteers at the Raptor Center have Liberty in great shape, and she is now ready to be released back into the wild tomorrow, fittingly on Independece Day (July 4th).
Last week I visited the Carolina Raptor Center to discuss the status of the State budget and the impact it may have on funding for programs like the Raptor Center. While I was there, I learned about the great eagle that as about to be released. The Raptor Center director said they had hoped to put a tracking device on her but they simply could not afford it. As I was leaving the Raptor Center, I pondered various options for getting funding for the tracking device from State resources, and then an experience from last year's legislative came to mind.
Last year a State Trooper died when he was hit by a motorist on I-40. It was heavily publicized in the media and the funeral turned out hundreds of people. The family incurred significant expense far beyond the allotment they received from the State for funeral expense. A well meaning representative presented a piece of legislation that would pay the widow thousands of dollars beyond the normal funeral expense to cover her cost. On hearing the proposal, every member in the legislature was swept up in the emotion and we all voted unanimously to make the payment.
Shortly after the vote, one of my colleagues acted upset, and I asked him why. He said, we may have done the right thing but it was the wrong way to do it. He then gave me a copy of a recount of a time when David (Davy) Crockett was in the Congress. My friend said "We just gave money to someone that was not ours to give." The story about Davie Crockett's experience is a worthwhile read.
CLICK this link to read it. In short, the story recounts an experience where Congressman Crockett concluded he "gave" money that was not "ours to give."
This account has come to mind many times as we work through a budget, and we have to make difficult choices about what we can fund and what we cannot. When the director of the Raptor Center first mentioned the need for funding, my first impulse to see if I could get some money allocated from State resources, but as soon as the thought entered my head, so did the story of Davy Crockett.
Some citizens misunderstand the members of the Republican caucus' calls to cut spending in these tough times. Some think we do not care about the things we believe should not be paid with taxpayer dollars, but there are many programs we hope will secure funding, just not with the scarce tax dollars we have to spend.
So in the spirit of Congressman David Crockett and in support of the great program at the Carolina Raptor Center, we are going to pass the hat and find a way to fund Liberty's tracking device. Members of the House Republican Caucus have offered to help, and I hope you will to. We have pledged to help defray the expenses of the tracking device, and we will be following Liberty's progress in the months to come online.
