Govt Lottery - Good or bad ?

I agree lottery tickets are the stupidest way to gamble. I go to the casino occasionally and play some black jack or video poker. I only spend an amount of money that I would to have a good time nothing more.

Scratching off tickets or entering numbers into a computer isn't my idea of a good time.
 
DigitalDave said:
The Lottery is one of my biggest pet peeves with the government. For one, I do not want to hear a god-damned politician tell me how bad it would be to have a casino in the state of Ohio, then not mention a damn thing about the state run lottery. Yeah, gambling is a problem, a government run so it continues problem, and any way they can reach in the pockets of people, they'll fuckin' do it. Especially when they can do it to dumb people wanting a better life but can't get a grip on reality enough to stop themselves from buying the damn things. It is not a win-win situation for anyone other than the politicians who take that money a blow it on bullshit, and they'll spend it on anything and get away with it, because no one complains when it comes from 'lottery ticket sales'. Hey, your tax dollars aren't buying pork, the poor dumb people are! Vegas is an awesome tourist attraction, and the gambling is done with privatly owned casinos. There are a ton of jobs and money flowing in to Vegas, and the chances of coming out with more than you went in with are better than the lotteries, but better yet, people have fun there. Not just the gambling, but all the shows and attractions that show up there just because of the amount of tourists the city attracts. That is a win-win situation, not this damn government run gambling program.
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Well, my state allows casinos and other forms of betting, so I definitely don't share your fustration on that front. People like getting lottery tickets and taking their chances and hitting it big, it may not be your cup of tea, but if it gives people pleasure to purchase them then so be it. If hte gov't can use it to fund education budgets, roads etc, then great.

Are you libertarians telling me that if given the choice you'd prefer to pay the difference in income taxes rather than get funds from the lotto?
 
Well, my state allows casinos and other forms of betting, so I definitely don't share your fustration on that front. People like getting lottery tickets and taking their chances and hitting it big, it may not be your cup of tea, but if it gives people pleasure to purchase them then so be it. If hte gov't can use it to fund education budgets, roads etc, then great.

Are you libertarians telling me that if given the choice you'd prefer to pay the difference in income taxes rather than get funds from the lotto?

I am. Would you feel the same way if the State of Nevada built state sponsored brothels to raise tax revenue.
 
Never been to a casino to bet, some good food though :)
I do buy the occasional lottery ticket. I do know of several people though to whom the lottery and gambling have become a very big part of their life.
And they are worse off finiancially than I am. One thing I can't link up though, all the lotto junkies I know voted for Bush :) Perhaps it is a faith thing.
 
IHateGovernment said:
Well, my state allows casinos and other forms of betting, so I definitely don't share your fustration on that front. People like getting lottery tickets and taking their chances and hitting it big, it may not be your cup of tea, but if it gives people pleasure to purchase them then so be it. If hte gov't can use it to fund education budgets, roads etc, then great.

Are you libertarians telling me that if given the choice you'd prefer to pay the difference in income taxes rather than get funds from the lotto?

I am. Would you feel the same way if the State of Nevada built state sponsored brothels to raise tax revenue.
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they are sort of state sponsored now are they not ?
Now govt run, that is another issue, how much paperwork would I have to fill out to play there :)
 
LadyT said:
Well, my state allows casinos and other forms of betting, so I definitely don't share your fustration on that front. People like getting lottery tickets and taking their chances and hitting it big, it may not be your cup of tea, but if it gives people pleasure to purchase them then so be it. If hte gov't can use it to fund education budgets, roads etc, then great.

Are you libertarians telling me that if given the choice you'd prefer to pay the difference in income taxes rather than get funds from the lotto?
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And that is just the problem, at least in our state. We just approved the state lottery a couple of years ago.....all in the name of funding education. That's bunk. With the lottery in full swing it now seems that education actually gets like 1/2 of one percent of lotto monies. It reminds me of when I was a kid and liquor by the drink and paramutual betting were voted in....all in the name of education. It's never true.

And I do agree the the poorer in our society tend to be the supporters of this type of gambling system. It is their choice to participate though. I just don't like the lottery and I certainly don't like how people lied to get it to pass in our state.
 
another point why are the liquor sales liscences limited in number so as to avoid competition and lower prices ?
 
Yeah FL had the same lottery scam, got it voted it to help education, well they withdrew the tax funding for schools and supplied the same amount of money from the lotto. but people still pay school tax. Fraud ?
 
another point why are the liquor sales liscences limited in number so as to avoid competition and lower prices ?

Jersey does that and I hate it. over 100K for a liquor license.
 
IHateGovernment said:
Well, my state allows casinos and other forms of betting, so I definitely don't share your fustration on that front. People like getting lottery tickets and taking their chances and hitting it big, it may not be your cup of tea, but if it gives people pleasure to purchase them then so be it. If hte gov't can use it to fund education budgets, roads etc, then great.

Are you libertarians telling me that if given the choice you'd prefer to pay the difference in income taxes rather than get funds from the lotto?

I am. Would you feel the same way if the State of Nevada built state sponsored brothels to raise tax revenue.
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I don't know to be honest. I'd give a disapproving wince and move on. I don't think I have a strong enough opinion either way considering I think it should be legal anyway. I mean, why shouldn't the state be able to make money off of it? I'm sure the benefits would be pretty decent for the guys and gals working there.
 
IHateGovernment said:
another point why are the liquor sales liscences limited in number so as to avoid competition and lower prices ?

Jersey does that and I hate it. over 100K for a liquor license.
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I'd be all for getting rid of the entire liquor licenscing scam all together.
 
I don't know to be honest. I'd give a disapproving wince and move on. I don't think I have a strong enough opinion either way considering I think it should be legal anyway. I mean, why shouldn't the state be able to make money off of it? I'm sure the benefits would be pretty decent for the guys and gals working there.

Mainly because it is the governments job to fight the negative effects of such things in our society. If they are running brothels it is counter productive to do so if the state is also charged with fighting STDs. If people are stealing money to gamble with it makes no sense for government to contribute toward theft.

Government shouldn't make things difficult for itself in this way. Government is also a representative of the people and many would find it odious that government was tkaing part in prostitution or drug peddling.

I feel that these things shouldn't be illegal because people should have freedom of choice. That doesn't mean I think they are good and I would encourage people not to do these things. Government's job is to protect the people not to provide an avenue for the people to harm themselves and potentially others.
 
yes tiana, it would be better.

at least then, you wouldn't have all of these toons from the other side claiming the wealthiest pay the majority of our taxes, then they show you ONLY income taxes as their example of higher tax rates on the rich while the poor and middle pay near nothing in taxes....is WHAT they always claim...

which is just bullshit, when there are so many other taxes, and many of them hidden, that the average joe pays every single day that they purposly neglect to condider in their rhetoric about taxes.

In addition to this, you are preying on the poor and middle class's hope of becoming a millionaire with the lottery...Which would be much higher a chance if the government did not take their huge cut for taxes...ya know?

I just hate it when repugs always say that "The poor" DOES NOT PAY TAXES, when in reality, with LOTTO and horse racing and slot machines and casinos, and liquor taxes, and fuel taxes, and utility taxes, and phone taxes, payroll taxes, and cigarette taxes....these poor people end up paying a higher percentage of their salary than the repugs say about them and put them down for... :(

Now adding a national lottery is just taking from the hopeful person...the every day joe, while we continue to give more tax breaks for the wealthiest among us....

just downright wrong in my humble opinion...

care
 
Yes, but these people are getting a service in return for their money. And they would actually be upset if you took it away from them. People enjoy playing it. I don't think you can really call it a "tax". Its a service provided by the gov't that helps lower our tax burdens. I'm actually stunned that libertarians would rather have more income taxes rather than something elective like this. My grandmother likes to play the lottery and when she hits and gets a little money here and there, she's elated. Its a game for her. I don't think the states taking advantage of her. If she couldn't afford it, she wouldn't/shouldn't do it.

I'm curious as to what Dano thinks.
 
And they would actually be upset if you took it away from them.

Sell the lottery to a private enterprise I'm sure they would be happy to operate it.

Dano probably would agree with me because he is opposed to government being involved with commerce. He didn't even like my idea of having prisoners produce sellable goods to offset the cost of their incarceration.
 
IHateGovernment said:
And they would actually be upset if you took it away from them.

Sell the lottery to a private enterprise I'm sure they would be happy to operate it.

Dano probably would agree with me because he is opposed to government being involved with commerce. He didn't even like my idea of having prisoners produce sellable goods to offset the cost of their incarceration.
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only because it meant less $$$ for big business. I'd like to add, I'm all for a private lotteries too. I just see don't anything wrong with the gov't doing it as well.
 
LadyT said:
I'm actually stunned that libertarians would rather have more income taxes rather than something elective like this.
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The government isn't a business. Just because they can find a way to make money doesn't mean they should do it. To me, the lottery is only a way to fund the government and give them more reason to spend on crap that isn't needed. Lottery sales haven't lowered my taxes any either.
 
DigitalDave said:
The government isn't a business. Just because they can find a way to make money doesn't mean they should do it. To me, the lottery is only a way to fund the government and give them more reason to spend on crap that isn't needed. Lottery sales haven't lowered my taxes any either.
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yeah, but if they got rid of it, you'd have to pay more in taxes.
 
Oh, sin taxes haven't lowered my taxes either. You would think, with all these taxes that the government collects in different ways, and all the new ways they are finding to steal more from us, that our taxes would drop, or they could balance their budgets. I don't see it happening.
 
What I see as wrong, is a State where it is illegal to run a 50/50 pool, will often have a lotto where they take 50% of the proceeds...

Hyprocritical.

They also have a larger base with less cost association as bureaucrats are a dime a dozen and they pay the cops to protect them rather than having to basically hiring their own police force....

The government should not be involved in a for-profit venture as they often have too large of an advantage over any competition. Especially when they make laws against exactly what they are doing.
 
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