State pays for Richie Farmer KY Sweet 16 hotel bill?

[mcpapa]

I sense that many Republicans and conservatives are not thrilled with the Williams/Farmer ticket. Can't say I blame them.

 

I would have thought that the 2008 Presidential election provided folks with a teachable moment. Find a relative political newbie with whom a huge portion of the demographic identifies (gun-toting soccer moms on the national scale, Wildcat basketball fans on the Commonwealth scale) and hope s/he doesn't repeatedly shoot themself in the foot.

[RomanEmpire]

Does it really matter? Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc.................Aren't they all idiots? Being a politician was never meant to be a career.

[acemona]

Farmer has to donate the money, or write a check to the state government. Constitutional officers can't change their salaries.

[woodsrider]

Farmer has to donate the money, or write a check to the state government. Constitutional officers can't change their salaries.

 

Then he should have written the check to the treasury.

[75center]

I sense that many Republicans and conservatives are not thrilled with the Williams/Farmer ticket. Can't say I blame them.

 

I would have thought that the 2008 Presidential election provided folks with a teachable moment. Find a relative political newbie with whom a huge portion of the demographic identifies (gun-toting soccer moms on the national scale, Wildcat basketball fans on the Commonwealth scale) and hope s/he doesn't repeatedly shoot themself in the foot.

 

That's an understatement.

[SportsGuy41017]

Then he should have written the check to the treasury.

Even though I think Farmer should pay his hotel bill at the Sweet 16, I can see the point on both sides of where these furlough checks should go to. As was stated before, Constitutional officers can't change their salaries, but the reasoning for them donating a percentage of their pay is to take a "hit" in pay like every state employee, not really to help the state.

 

But I agree, his timing is interesting, he was against writing a furlough check for a while now, but now that the Sweet 16 issue has come up, now he does it? Damage Control?

[woodsrider]

Even though I think Farmer should pay his hotel bill at the Sweet 16, I can see the point on both sides of where these furlough checks should go to. As was stated before, Constitutional officers can't change their salaries, but the reasoning for them donating a percentage of their pay is to take a "hit" in pay like every state employee, not really to help the state.

 

But I agree, his timing is interesting, he was against writing a furlough check for a while now, but now that the Sweet 16 issue has come up, now he does it? Damage Control?

 

He gave $1000 to a church in Frankfort. I would guess this is the church he is a member of and as such is already giving money to them. How do we know this isn't really part of his normal tithe? On top of that how much of the pain is he really going to feel since he is able to write these donations off?

[jericho]

Well on second thougth he is from Clay co which has a bad history of political corruption. Maybe he gets it honest.

[BlueFan]

Even though I think Farmer should pay his hotel bill at the Sweet 16, I can see the point on both sides of where these furlough checks should go to. As was stated before, Constitutional officers can't change their salaries, but the reasoning for them donating a percentage of their pay is to take a "hit" in pay like every state employee, not really to help the state.

 

But I agree, his timing is interesting, he was against writing a furlough check for a while now, but now that the Sweet 16 issue has come up, now he does it? Damage Control?

 

The only reason for the furloughs was to "help the State" due to a budget shortfall. The money should have been given back to the State Treasury.

 

Having said that.......I do agree with Richie that furloughs were a bad idea. It was an "easy out" for those charged with the responsibility to balance the budget. A much better solution would be to hold the line on hiring when a vacancy occurs.

[acemona]

The only reason for the furloughs was to "help the State" due to a budget shortfall. The money should have been given back to the State Treasury.

 

Having said that.......I do agree with Richie that furloughs were a bad idea. It was an "easy out" for those charged with the responsibility to balance the budget. A much better solution would be to hold the line on hiring when a vacancy occurs.

 

Without the furlough, 413 people would have lost their jobs. Because of the economy, people are not retiring so you couldn't simply hope that 413 people would retire. And if they did, chances are you would need a great deal of them to be filled to keep state services running. I don't think there was anything 'easy' about the furlough process for anybody, but it was certainly better for everyone to lose a weeks pay than for 413 to lose their job.

[CoachBuckett]

Without the furlough, 413 people would have lost their jobs. Because of the economy, people are not retiring so you couldn't simply hope that 413 people would retire. And if they did, chances are you would need a great deal of them to be filled to keep state services running. I don't think there was anything 'easy' about the furlough process for anybody, but it was certainly better for everyone to lose a weeks pay than for 413 to lose their job.

 

There are ways to do it through hiring freezes.

 

If you sit on every vacancy for 120 days before hiring you save more than just salary. You also save on benefits, which cost way more than salary. This alone would save plenty of money.

[woodsrider]

Without the furlough, 413 people would have lost their jobs. Because of the economy, people are not retiring so you couldn't simply hope that 413 people would retire. And if they did, chances are you would need a great deal of them to be filled to keep state services running. I don't think there was anything 'easy' about the furlough process for anybody, but it was certainly better for everyone to lose a weeks pay than for 413 to lose their job.

 

I don't believe either was needed. It was just the easiest way out.

[SportsGuy41017]

First, I never noticed Farmer is a "Kentucky Proud" t-shirt at the Sweet 16! As far as "working the crowd"? All he does is sit there near courtside, I never noticed him going up on the concourse to actually "work the crowd".

 

Is Farmer that hard up for money? Or is he just the hard-headed? When this all came out last week why didn't he just say he made a mistake or okay since the state is strapped for money I will go ahead and pay this bill, but for him to drag it on like this is only hurting himself, and his ticket!

 

[gold sunrise]

Was on the news tonight that Richie also attended the state fair last fall, and yes the state picked up that bill too, hotel room, food, ect.

[Jim Schue]

First, I never noticed Farmer is a "Kentucky Proud" t-shirt at the Sweet 16! As far as "working the crowd"? All he does is sit there near courtside, I never noticed him going up on the concourse to actually "work the crowd".

 

Is Farmer that hard up for money? Or is he just the hard-headed? When this all came out last week why didn't he just say he made a mistake or okay since the state is strapped for money I will go ahead and pay this bill, but for him to drag it on like this is only hurting himself, and his ticket!

 

 

The only "crowd" Farmer "works" at the Sweet 16 are those folks near courtside who are probably already pledged to his cause. He probably goes and visits upper-arena ticketholders as often as he did when he was taking all those ag classes at UK.

 

Richie's just there to be seen; to bask in the glory of being a Sweet 16 legend. If he does any "working of the crowd," it's done very hush-hush.