Lottery

         Lottery and gambling have become a way of life for this country. I am not against it, but I am not for the way it is been advertised so people will support it and vote for it. First, I am not against all the gambling that people do, it does provide entertainment, fun and provides jobs. With that also comes crime and corruption. Sometime it does good like when groups use it to raise funds for originations and other fund raisers or activities. What I want to talk about is multi-state lottery and how it does more damage to a state economy than good. First, lottery is not like the gambling people do in casino’s, sports, horse racing, BINGO and other activities. Second, lotteries are design to suck money out of the economy and put it into the government and other entities.

         Multi-state lotteries are a “pea and shell” scam and people really do not understand the damage it does. Now single state lotteries I can live with to a point. What is the different between the two beside the size of the pot. The difference is not in the size of the pot, but how the money is taken/stolen out of each state economy and put in another economy. The money that is put in the state lottery is also taken out of the local economy. Most of the time the winner is in another state and that state gets the money in theory. But what is sad about it, the government always get a portion of it no matter what state wins. They win every time; the lottery is nothing more than a sugar-coated tax for them. Multi-state lottery should be banned and outlawed.

         Now let’s look at lotteries for single state only and the good they can do to the economy. First, most of the money will stay in the state and be put back in the economy from where it was taken from. Second, the name of the winner cannot be let out unless that person put it out there. This winning should not be taxed, and the odds for winning need to be lowered. Also, the winner cannot quit their job, the money should not be allowed to be invested or leave the country. If we do this, here are some of the pros. The money will be put back into the state economy faster and none of it will go to the government. It also will not go into the pockets of our politicians so they can live on our money. If the lottery winner wants to give some of it away to family, friends, originations to help out them, that is okay. But that money still cannot be taxed, this way the money that was taken out can be put back in the economy faster and help out bad situation faster.

         If we do the lottery this way, you can see the good it does like comparing it to a set of balancing beam scales. If you have a set of balancing beam scale with weights on both sides, when you take some of the weight (money) off one side, the scales tip to the heavy side. That is what happens when the money goes to another state economy and the government. The state loses in so many ways. Now if the money does not leave the state and not taxed, the scales stay more balanced and the state economy stays strong. I am not for using the lottery to fund schools because the money it puts in will be taking out the back door of school funding. The money will go for something else.

                                                            R. Fleharty