Richie Farmer wastes taxpayer dollars

The Herald-Leader has the latest news on Richie Farmer:

This summer, as the state government readied another round of budget cuts, including worker furloughs and Medicaid reductions, Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer and three top aides took an eight-day trip to a Caribbean luxury resort that cost taxpayers more than $10,000, according to a review of state travel records.

...Next year, when [David] Williams and Farmer run on a Republican ticket for governor and lieutenant governor, their campaign's call for "a smaller, leaner government" might lose some credibility if they're not sharing in the same austerity as the rest of the state, said Don Gross, a University of Kentucky political scientist.

In August, the Herald-Leader reported that Farmer had spent about $445,000 buying 19 new vehicles for his department — including a $35,340 car for his own use, replacing a 2-year-old vehicle — while the rest of state government dramatically cut back on such purchases.