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I'm never going to win "The Lottery:" Powerball, Mega Millions, Fantasy 5, etc....

 

It was toward the end of 1981 and I was on my way to Phoenix on some business errand. It was cold. I had arisen early and stopped at a convenience market for coffee. When I paid, the friendly clerk asked if I wished to play the lottery. I stepped aside to read the information about the Arizona State Lottery just as a slim, young women came in with a child and brushed past me.

 I recollect that she was in her late 20s or early 30s. She wore a thin sweater that she hugged closely around herself. The best word I can find now to describe her expression at that moment is "harried;" under enormous pressure; distressed.

The child was a boy, no more than three or four years of age at the most. His hair was uncombed, his face badly needed washing and he had no sweater. It was obvious that he had worn the same clothing for more than one day. When the woman released his hand to give a much-folded greenback to the clerk, the child clung to her waist and began whimpering. I was then shocked to see that he was barefoot.

I remember distinctly that the clerk took the money and gave the woman 10 lottery tickets. She put all on the counter, and steadfastly began rubbing at the numbers. Her expression did not change as she angrily slapped, one by one, what I assumed were 10 losing tickets, on the counter

The child had begun to survey the wealth of goodies surrounding him. He turned to the woman and whispered something. She angrily tore his hand from her dress and rasped out, "No!"

The clerk and I watched the tableau reach its climax, as the woman tore the tickets to shreds, grabbed her now whimpering son by the hand and rushed from the store. After the door closed behind her, we could hear the boy howling in despair. They quickly disappeared from view.

It's one of those moments that one is caused to recall with shame and self-blame for the rest of our lives. All the way to Phoenix, and for a long time afterward, I castigated myself for not doing something other than turning to the clerk and saying, "We're going to be paying for those lottery tickets with interest in about 15 more years." His face remained blank. He had no idea what I meant.

I have never purchased a lottery ticket due to that experience. Every time there is another ticket-buying frenzy and the commercial establishments are mobbed by dreamers, I am reminded that the lottery is not designed to benefit the poor, now should anyone believe the myth that the profits derived from the states is dedicated greatly to education.

The lottery is a system that relies mostly on the poorest people in our society to raise revenue and most of the money never makes it to a classroom. California spends over $6-billion a year on education. Only one-tenth of funding for education in California comes from lottery money,

According to CBS, about 50 to 60 percent goes to winners. 15 percent go to the retailers where the tickets are sold. The IRS gets about $100-million annually from lump-sum payments. Advertising and operating expenses swallow about twenty-five percent. The rest goes in state coffers.

But here's the bottom line: Lottery money overall simply replaces dollars that legislators could spend on education, but instead is spent on other projects. The net effect of any earmarked lottery "education" money is close to zero.

The following comes from Arizona Lottery's 2011 Financial Statement, as provided by Henry and Horne, LLP, Certified Public Accountants. Out of $583.5-million in revenues, $360-million went to winners. $39.2 million were paid in sales commissions, $10-million went to the "Heritage Fund," $18.8-million to the "Health Arizona Fund," and even $1-million for the "Homeless." $3.2-million of the lottery income was devoted to "Economic Development" and finally, $6-million - an education earmark - went to pay Capital bonds for the Universities

The remainder went to other State Funds. $104.7-million was transferred to the State General Fund for allocation by the State Legislature.

It's no wonder that the Politicians Love the Lottery.


73,

Phil Richardson, Observer and Storyteller





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