I Can't Believe I'm Defending This Guy...

So, I was talking to my mother this afternoon on my Samsung Propel *bobo Blackberry cough cough* when she said, "Have you heard what they're saying about Crist?"

My immediate response was (naturally) "He is homosexual?"

BUT NO! It gets better! I mean, worse... Hell, it gets to be pretty hilarious in a very sad way.

My dear governor, Florida Republican Governor Charlie Crist, has been given the title of America's worst governor by Forbes Magazine. My question (which is probably the same as yours) is How did that happen? Apparently there are legitimate reasons...

According to Forbes.com, Crist caused controversy when he (a Republican!) gladly accepted Obama's stimulus money. Crist's own reasons for accepting the stimulus cash aren't too shabby, either. Crist had this to say about the infamous stimulus bill (which economists say should have been larger):

"I think it's fantastic. Are you kidding? We don't have to raise taxes." Moreover, Crist contiuned, "we might be able to cut property taxes some more. We have more money for education, so we can increase per-student spending. We can spend more money on our roads and infrastructure. We can provide health care for our people. I mean, it's remarkable."

Sadly, Forbes writer Reihan Salam mocks this as "free-lunchism."

One thing that Salam doesn't understand is that there is always a reason to cut taxes in Florida! Salam gose on to claim that Crist is the worst governor because of his lack of economic savvy. Apparently,

"Crist has committed Florida to a fiscal nightmare, one that will lead to draconian tax hikes and spending cuts long after he makes a break for the U.S. Senate or finds some other comfortable sinecure thanks to the good graces of his many wealthy friends."

If these are the reasons for Crist being America's worst governor, I wonder where that would put California Governor Schwarzenegger on the list? A close second maybe? It seems evident that the state of Florida isn't in the same financial quagmire as California.

And what about South Carolina Governor Mark Stanford who used tax payer dollars for personal business? (We'll leave his mistress out of this.)

And why not discuss Texas Governor Rick Perry who just this summer reminded anti-Obama protestors that Texas has the right to secede? By the way, he did accept the stimulus money.

And how could we forget Rush Limbaugh's wet dream, Sarah Palin? She may not count anymore because she's a bonafide quitter but I think she ruined things for everyone, don't you? Maybe she left to avoid this kind of publicity.

Obviously, there are plenty of governors who make Crist look like a godsend. As a Florida resident, I can honestly say that education is NEVER really a major issue there but it never hurts for the governor to bring up the subject (considering the fact that many people in Florida do not acknowledge their awful school systems). The infrastructure projects are likely to be left half-finished for months when the money does get tight again, but we don't anticipate any bridges to nowhere. Also, the stimulus plan can hardly hope to cover all of the death panel candidates and plastic surgeon fiends that reside in sunny Florida.

Let's face it: it's not like Crist will really change anything but at least property taxes might go down!

Honestly, I think this Forbes article shows a very positive attribute of Governor Crist: He's a genuine moderate. I think the US Senate could use a few of those if they ever want any of that treasured bipartisanship.

All quotes are courtesy of this article.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/10/25/governor-charlie-crist-florida-opinions-columnists-politics-reihan-salam.html