Govt Lottery - Good or bad ?

Damocles said:
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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very good point.
 
DigitalDave said:
Or they would just have to cut some pork out of their budget ...........
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hah hah hah!!! "cut some pork out of their budgets".......Yeah, that'll happen. Keep holding your breath. In the mean time, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
 
LadyT said:
hah hah hah!!! "cut some pork out of their budgets".......Yeah, that'll happen. Keep holding your breath. In the mean time, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.
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Well, I feel as long as we accept the gift horse, the government will never change...
 
DigitalDave said:
Well, I feel as long as we accept the gift horse, the government will never change...
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I can tell you exactly what would happen:
they'd let it go private, there'd be a hole in the budget and they will do what they always do when faced with that dilemma raise taxes or increase traffic violations or vehicle registrations to cover the difference. You'll be told "but if we don't the children.....the elderly......yada yada yada" and bam, you're sales taxes, income taxes or gas taxes are up. If you have some plan of getting to cut spending, you can implement it now even with the lotto in place - I'll buy you a case of Corona if you do.

But damo and you do have a good point about the hypocrisy of hte gov't telling private companies they can't have lotteries while the states do. I think we all see the elephant in the room with that one though.
 
LadyT said:
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.
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most of them are not getting a service tiana, when it comes to a National Lottery....

There getting a chance, a CHANCE AT RICHES, riches that they would never have the opportunity to make in an entire lifetime....

And there are also those that have let this chance turn in to a Vice....a vice that our government is making money off of when our government is suppose to be there for the betterment of individuals that live here...not to support and make money off of their citizen's weaknesses.

I know this is not the case with alot of people that gamble...like in casinos...I too enjoy myself...

But for many people casual gambling can lead to becoming a vice...shoot it probably even could with me, if I didn't watch myself...

To know that our government is making money off of these type of conditions, to me, is wrong and certainly not better for our general welfare...

and in addition to this, the government has lied to us over and over again to get gambling initiatives passed by the public...

With Atlantic City it was to clean up the city and to pay far a better education for the children of the state than they were getting.

In Florida, they passed a state lottery because this extra lottery money was suppose to making their piss poor educational system better....

then after they passed, and it is Florida in specific that I know the details...they did let all of LOTTO money go to the schools, but in fine print that was never shown to us, they cut out all of the budget money that went towards schools and USED ONLY THE LOTTO MONEY, not adding anything to the schools in the end. Then they took the money that was going towards their schooling in the budget and spent it ON OTHER THINGS...

So schools never ended up getting better, the poor and those that hope for more were preyed upon, and their congress got all this money to spend on pork barrel projects that used to go in to the schools...

I agree with ihg, it is a scam, and very few people end up being huge tax payers while others get away with NOT paying their fair share...

care

What did people do before our states offered Lotto? What games did they enjoy and like prior to it?
 
There would be less problem with government doing such things if we didn't have government take care of welfare and crime prevention but we do.

Say a single mother becomes addicted to lottery ticket gambling. Each week she pays a good portion of her paycheck on tickets. So much so that her child goes without food and medicine. Eventually the child is taken away and put into foster care. Who pays for this? The tax payers Why? Because of a government program designed for raising revenue.

This kind of thing will inevitably happen. The government will create problems that it is forced to clean up.
 
IHateGovernment said:
There would be less problem with government doing such things if we didn't have government take care of welfare and crime prevention but we do.

Say a single mother becomes addicted to lottery ticket gambling. Each week she pays a good portion of her paycheck on tickets. So much so that her child goes without food and medicine. Eventually the child is taken away and put into foster care. Who pays for this? The tax payers Why? Because of a government program designed for raising revenue.

This kind of thing will inevitably happen. The government will create problems that it is forced to clean up.
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LOL, "a good portion"? come on they are like $1 each. If that person bought one every day that year, they'll have spent $365 on entertainment. Who cares? Its not that serious.

Anyway, honestly guys, i really don't have a strong enough opinion either way. I think you're blowing the "dangers" associated with a lotto way out of proportion. If people are that compulsive and can't control themselves from buying thousands of lotto tickets to the point where they can't eat or pay hteir rent, that ain't the states fault, they have other issues.

I think Damo and Dave have good point about the hypocrisy of the state in their monopoly on the lottery that they've manipulated.
 
I guess the govt is deep into whoopie regulation. No polygamy, gays can't marry, many many anti sex laws on the books.
Why can't men and women sell their services if they want to ?
We whine about them regulating our businesses and such. They regulate the heck out of our bodies. And have for many years. a person is not even permitted to decide to take their own life. Have to be embalmed and buried per law, etc. Cradle to grave govt regulation on our bodies.
 
The problem with the lotto players is that they don't just buy one ticket. Hell, they can barely do with just five. Ohio now has some $20 tickets that you could win, get this, MILLIONS! WOO HOO! I can see the gullible people running now. 1 in 3 wins! That means you might get your money back, and if your really lucky, you might break even from the past week you payed for lottery tickets. Yes, people buy these things... I don't know why. People are just looking to get lucky, and the government shoves it down their gullible thoats hoping to make a little bit more money to pay for their pork. You should see the new Bridges they just built in ValleyView for the bikers and hikers. There are three of them and all they are there for is to cross the street. Each one cost AT LEAST $1 million to build. I still don't see people using them. Maybe occasionally I'll see someone biking on them. But hey, we have a lottery so we can afford it. Thanks poor gullible people!
 
lottery is good and bad

i mean i think the idea of lottery is good its the people who abuse it. In a sense it helps the economy when poeple spend thier money in the US. if the lottery wasnt there people would just spend thier money on other things. and i think if the money at least goes to the goverment for something good then why is it bad. at the same time when it is used for education people used to home wchool them selves for over 400yr why should we now pay taxes or have the goverment find ways to pay for it now? basically i believe the idea of lottery is good just that people abuse it or thers soemthing bad with it. but really if there is a way or the goverment to make money without taking our the poeple's money in some way please temm me if you found the answer because it would save a lot of bad things happening ot teh people espically hte poor. also people who think they should down the lottery because it waste people's money its thier decision to waste it on crank or anything they want. they earned it (i hope) and hsould be able to spend it on what ever they want. but im probly wrong im only 14 :cool:
 
Yeah on the spending.

When they campaign to get a lottery or other gambling going they say it will bring in $$$$$ we can spend on schools or somesuch.
Actually it will not bring much increase at all, it will just take money away from other things.
most people spend pretty much all the have, the only question is on what ?
 
LadyT said:
I agree with charver, its not really a "tax". I think they are a good thing. The only problem I have with them is that you get structured settlements rather than lump sums for the full amount of winnings. I don't think that's fair. I see no problem with them. People like to gamble and the states get money. Its a win win.
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Oh yeah. The government should also run a kiddie prostitution ring.
 
boneheads56 said:
i mean i think the idea of lottery is good its the people who abuse it. In a sense it helps the economy when poeple spend thier money in the US. if the lottery wasnt there people would just spend thier money on other things. and i think if the money at least goes to the goverment for something good then why is it bad. at the same time when it is used for education people used to home wchool them selves for over 400yr why should we now pay taxes or have the goverment find ways to pay for it now? basically i believe the idea of lottery is good just that people abuse it or thers soemthing bad with it. but really if there is a way or the goverment to make money without taking our the poeple's money in some way please temm me if you found the answer because it would save a lot of bad things happening ot teh people espically hte poor. also people who think they should down the lottery because it waste people's money its thier decision to waste it on crank or anything they want. they earned it (i hope) and hsould be able to spend it on what ever they want. but im probly wrong im only 14 :cool:
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Hello. Welcome to the board.
 
The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

But its a totally voluntary tax. Yes the lower income people play it at a much higher rate than do the rich. But not one single person is forced to play it.

In GA the Hope Scholarship has enabled many to go to college that would have been unable before.


If someone voluntarily spend all their money on lotto tickets then they are an idiot. I think the lottery is fine. If you don't want to play then don't play. But don't take the fun from other who play responsibily just because some people are idiots. And don't take away the means for middle and low income kids to attend college.
 
Solitary said:
The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

But its a totally voluntary tax. Yes the lower income people play it at a much higher rate than do the rich. But not one single person is forced to play it.

In GA the Hope Scholarship has enabled many to go to college that would have been unable before.


If someone voluntarily spend all their money on lotto tickets then they are an idiot. I think the lottery is fine. If you don't want to play then don't play. But don't take the fun from other who play responsibily just because some people are idiots. And don't take away the means for middle and low income kids to attend college.
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You pay a buck, you get hours of entertainment planning on what to do with the winnings. It depends on how you play and what your expectations are. If you spend most of your money that should go to the light bill on the lotto, yes you are stupid. If you spend a buck and imagine... not so much.
 
The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.
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That's real close to what I've always called it... A Tax on Stupidity.

I have no problems with state lotteries which model after Georgia's and actually fund scholarships and education. Several other states managed to get a lottery on the 'promise' it would be used for education, but then, found ways to spend the money for other things. Zell Miller gave his word the GA lottery would be used to fund education only, and when they started trying to pull the bait and switch, he threatened to kill it. The legislature was forced to send him a lottery bill which strictly funded education, and he signed it. GA has one of the best programs in the nation now, because of the lottery.

As for a National Lottery, I am not in favor of it. Primarily because it would require the formation of yet another bureaucracy to oversee it, and that would eat up much of the profits. Secondly, there are a lot of people in a lot of states, who don't wish to have a lottery and feel they are detrimental to society, and have kept lotteries from becoming legalized in their state. I respect their right to determine this for their own state, and don't feel it is the right of the Federal government to usurp that right. If there were some efficient way to combine all state lotteries, or states who have lotteries, into one big mega-super-lottery, and call it a 'national lottery', that would be okay with me.
 
If taxation is bad for the economy, isn't it bad whether or not it's voluntary?

And the lottery itself is the most regressive tax in existence.
 
Well we do have a very popular pick 2 lottery going on right now. It should be over in about a couple of months after hundreds of millions are wasted on it and everyone loses.
 
Damo nailed it. Its entertainment for a buck a shot.

I play the mega millions. I never spend more than $10 a week, but its entertaining to talk about "what if". There have been times when money is tight that I didn't buythe tickets.

Its time for idiots to be responsible for their own lives. They need to quit blaming someone or something else.

If you have a paycheck and you blow it on lotto tickets, then you are too stupid to have money. Get an old shopping cart and start collecting aluminum cans.
 
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