Crist (on a bike)

If you think the travel industry is in dire straits, at least we have Governor Charlie Crist.
Gov. Crist, like anyone else in his position, is entitled to go on trade missions to drum up new business for Florida. But to judge from the costs he racked up and the size of his retinue on the trip to Europe, Mr Crist seems to have lost his sense of proportion.
The trip was supposed to cost $255,000, a hefty sum by most measures but apparently within the expected range for gubernatorial jaunts of this sort. No doubt the dollar's weakness in Europe this summer increased costs. But by $170,000? That's a lot of business development.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Crist's trade trip far eclipsed the original estimated price tag of $255,000. The newspaper found that among the governor's entourage were nine bodyguards. Crist stayed in hotel suites in London, Paris, Rome and St. Petersburg that ran as high as $2,179 a night, and he traveled first-class air at a cost of $8,000, round trip. Oh, lest we forget, there was a $1,300 tab for hotel room service and minibar expenses.
And then there is the question of Carole Rome, Crist's then fiance. Rome tagged along on the trip but was listed on the travel list as a "delegate" representing her New York company. That company is a wholesaler of Halloween costumes.
Crist's staff has defended the trip, saying it was largely funded by Enterprise Florida, the public-private partnership that promotes economic development in the state. Enterprise Florida officials say the junket enabled Florida companies to make $5.5 million in sales and laid the groundwork for another $96 million in business and 2,245 new high-tech jobs.
Even if that's true, overspending on an official trip and going first class and maybe beyond is either a sign of cluelessness or crassness on Crist's part. Especially at at time when so many of his constituents are worrying about having a job or, worse, a home.
Florida leads the nation in jobs lost. Florida is being hit harder by the mortgage crisis than any state but California.
The latest forecast by state economists shows the state facing a potential $6 billion revenue shortfall for the coming year, on top of $6 billion in cuts last year.
And as of now, neither the governor nor the Legislature has a plan to keep our schools and our social services adequately funded.
Crist should quit trying to defend a trip that was filled with unjustifiable extravagances and was shamefully over budget. That's hardly a message a man who calls himself "the people's governor" should be sending.
Times are tough, and in Florida, they are worse than most places. The governor should act like it when conducting his own affairs and the public's affairs, and not just when it comes time to cut the budgets for public services.