Crist: Education and environmental cuts too deep

Florida Gov. Charlie Crist is expressing his displeasure with education and environmental cuts the Florida Legislature's plan for closing the $2.3 billion deficit.

"I don’t know that they did. Education is one of the most important things that we fund around here. The reductions I recommended were less than what we’re looking at. I’m going to look closely at that. Thank goodness, because of the Florida constitution, I have the opportunity to tweak some of these things."

News-Press:

Crist also lamented that the budget deal cuts Florida Forever, the wilderness-acquisition program that preserved a half-million acres between 2001 and 2006.

Florida Forever is a nice cause, in nice economic times. It restores damaged environmental systems, protects thousands of acres of land, improves maintenance of that land etc.,

But Charlie's the "People's Governor" last I checked; not the alligators'. Restoring a sound state economy and protecting taxpayers' wallets will, ultimately, go further toward protecting Florida than Florida Forever. After all, you've got to get the revenue for protecting egrets before you actually swaddle them with designer twigs.