Kentucky has received below-par ratings by the Environmental Protection Agency for pollution rates. Kentucky has also been ranked the "fattest" state in the country due to large obesity rates. Even indicted Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher--in an effort to reverse these trends-- has touted himself as a steward of the environment and a champion in the fight for fitness:
“We want our citizens to excel in efforts to improve Kentucky’s environment. … to reach beyond the legal minimum to do more for our environment than what our laws and regulations require.” [10/25/05]
“Exercise is just as essential as eating. … It needs to be stressed just as much.” [4/28/06]
Fletcher may talk the talk, but he doesn't walk the walk--literally. The AP has reported that Fletcher wastes energy and key calorie-burning time by riding in a Lincoln Town Car to and from work each day:
Gov. Ernie Fletcher finishes a day at the office, but instead of walking through the idyllic scene across the street to the Governor’s Mansion, he gets into a Lincoln Town Car to be chauffeured to his door. In Kentucky, the lawns of the Capitol and the mansion are separated only by a narrow tree-shaded street, but Fletcher routinely rides to and from his office.
Here’s a map of the distance from the Governor’s Mansion to the Capitol building--a distance of under 150 yards (In Kentucky, the Governor's office is on the first floor of the Capitol building):
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