Speaking of Pensacola, the Pensacola News Journal has endorsed Jim Davis for Governor!

[flpoljunkie]

http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061105/OPINION/611050314/1020

Our pick: Jim Davis.

The top issues across the state for most voters are the cost of insurance, rising property taxes and education.

· Property taxes:

Davis offers $1 billion in school property tax relief, replacing the money by ending exemptions and tax breaks lobbyists have engineered in Tallahassee for just about everyone but property owners.

Crist wants a constitutional amendment to double the homestead exemption and to provide portability for tax savings under the Save Our Homes amendment. But that further worsens the inequities building in the property tax system, and simply redistributes the burden to those who don't benefit, such as small businesses.

· Education:

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is crowding too much else out of our schools, which soon might be turning out students whose only real achievement is passing the FCAT.

The test's weaknesses were revealed earlier this year when it was found that many, if not most, of the people hired to grade it were not even certified in their subject area.

Davis, refreshingly, calls for ending the FCAT's chokehold on our schools. He would keep it as an evaluative tool, but expand the criteria for evaluating schools while dropping the dreaded grading system. He wants students who get their tests back to be able to use them for understanding where they are.

Crist seems to like the FCAT as it is, although under pressure has been modifying his stance, as he has done on a number of key issues lately.

· Insurance:

We're not sure either candidate has the answer on insurance, but who does?

Davis at least has his eyes focused on policyholders, pledging to seek repeal of a 2006 law that gave insurance companies more freedom to raise rates on their own, this on the heels of a 2005 law that clarified the question of policy liability squarely in favor of the insurance companies. With the Legislature so focused on helping insurance companies, it will be helpful to have a governor looking out for policyholders.

Crist of late can't seem to decide whether he is for or against the rate law, implying he would have vetoed it, and then backing off. Meanwhile, he also was mostly silent while the insurance debate was raging in the Legislature.

It is also hard to tell where Crist stood on the matter of the totally improper and unconstitutional attempt by the Legislature and Gov. Jeb Bush to intervene in the Terry Schiavo case. As attorney general, Crist remained silent, although he now says that privately he took a stand against it.

On such a matter, the attorney general should have taken a clear public stand. While Crist ran a professional and competent office, people are right to expect more leadership from such a high-profile position.

We believe both Davis and Crist will be an improvement over the current administration on environmental matters, and both will stand strong against offshore drilling on Florida's coast, a role Davis took in Congress.

In this race, Florida voters could do a lot worse than either candidate. We believe they will do best with Davis.

[seafan]

1. Yes! Just saw that too! Another reason travelin' Charlie is running away from

* in Pensacola tomorrow!

Great news for Jim!

[jonnywishbone97]

2. Today in Pensacola.

You should have seen the protesters in Pensacola today. There was even a fight between a couple of protesters and a moron chimp supporter who got his face rearranged next to the civic center. I hate living in the redneck riviera where 70% of the inbreds here support the chimp but we do have a few people with their heads out of the sand.