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Doug,

Truth be told, when/if the lottery funds start rolling in, most of it will be lost in the great budget black hole and what is spent on education will have little impact on it's quality.

This is just another way for government to acquire more funds and nothing else.

I lived in a state where the lottery existed and those who tended to play were those who were mathematically challenged (hardly any chance of winning) and who failed to realize that acquiring wealth requires an education and a lot of effort in this life to make and do good, just the type of people the politicians knew would line up to buy the tickets. And by golly did they, with many spending their entire paychecks (and govt assistance checks) to "hit the jackpot."

This culture of "easy money" in fact has helped to perpetuate the cycle of poverty for this income group, that as a result of their actions and behavior, they will probably never escape from. And all with the assistance and knowledge of our state government.

Where did I hear that the Democrats were supposed to be the party of the people, looking out for the little guy?

I was looking at one of those lottery billboard ads in Virginia over the weekend. At the bottom, it gave the odds of winning the big prize as one in 176 million. My friend, who's a math professor, said anyone who plays those odds shouldn't fly in an airplane.

Of course, in South Carolina the odds sometimes are zero.

Doug,

Why not change your name to Doom & Gloom and give the lottery a rest. If it is doomed to fail, it will. If it is destined to succeed, it will. I just read the results for Georgia on their website, www.georgialottery.com, and the cut for education for fiscal 2005 will be in excess of $802,000,000.

If you're going to call yourself a reporter, then report ALL sides of the story, not just what you believe in.

Mad Dog,

Thanks for responding.

I don't call myself a reporter. I'm an opinion writer.

You and anyone else are invited to write in favor of the lottery. It's up to you to provide the "balance" on this blog.

For my part, I'd like to be known as one of the harshest, most relentless critics of the lottery in North Carolina.

I will say the Georgia lottery may be the best-run lottery in the country because it absolutely guarantees that lottery proceeds do not supplant money than would have gone to education otherwise. North Carolina's lottery lacks such an ironclad guarantee. For every lottery dollar it puts into education, the legislature can take a tax dollar out.

Mad Dog,

If it survives legal challenges, it will never go away because it too easy money for the politicians even if the original purpose of better education for North Carolinians is not realized with these revenues.

In most of the lottery for better education for our children states, there's not a noticeable increase in quality of education. Except for Georgia, lottery revenues for these states are not even listed separately as line items in the budgets.

However, the point that Doug makes is that the players are typically low income individuals that are preyed upon by their governments and in a nutshell by promoting the potential for "easy wealth" are taking money from those who need it the most. This shouldn't be one of the ways North Carolinians fund educational improvement for it's students.

I would say, at least give it a chance. With so many other states playing the lottery, why not give this state the opportunity to capitalize on the income. Only time will tell. If poor people choose to play, it's just like alcohol and cigarettes, it's their choice. The beauty of it is having a choice.

I'm most ashamed that the state is going to run a numbers game. In fact, the state is going to run a monopoly numbers game.

What if you were only allowed to buy beer and cigarettes from the state?

And, by the way, I don't like the state running liquor stores, either.

mad dog,

doug is absolutely right in his continuing criticism of the N.C. Lottery. If you don't agree, check out the specs of this lottery, where the money goes and how it is to be used. If it ever gets started, the proceeds will go into the state's general fund. It'll disappear and be indistinguishable from oter revenues. There will be no money trail.

In Georgia, they set their lottery up correctly and for the right reasons. Proceed from the lottery go to only three purposes:

1) Tuition grants, scholarships or loans to undergraduate college students and teachers who seek advanced degrees in critical areas of need. More than $3.8 billion have been awarded in HOPE scholarships to Georgia High School graduates. HOPE PROMISE teacher scholarships provide tuition assistance to undergraduate students who aspite to be teachers in Georgia's public schools. The HOPE teacher program offers tuition assistance to teachers who who seek graduate degrees in cricial areas of need.

2) Voluntary Prekindergarten Programs. $2.69 billion to send more than 700,000 four-year olds to Pre-K programs.

3) Technology grants to train teachers in the use and application of advanced technology and capital outlay projects for educational facilities. More than $1.8 billion to capital outlay programs and technology grants for schools.

So, it is clear how Georgia is using their lottery proceeds. Georgia residents clearly support the lottery in their state because they can actually see something positive flowing from it. Do you think that North Carolinians will be able to say the same a few years down the road?

Mitchell, is there any other vice that the state should sponsor to let the poor people have a choice in spending their precious few dollars?

For my part, I'd like to be known as one of the harshest, most relentless critics of the lottery in North Carolina." * Doug

Doug my conservative friend with a opinion! I would love to see the result of that statement in about 6 months from now when you walk into any 24/7 after 4 pm on a Friday and shout that to a lobby full of brothers at the ticket purchase counter! I can assure yoy that the Iraq war will be a cakewalk after that statement.

Connie, thanks for the laugh.

You made me think of a colleague I once had at the Waynesville Mountaineer who got off a bus in Cherokee and shouted, "Where are all the f---ing Indians?" I'm pretty sure he was drunk.

I won't make the same mistake.

you made me think of a colleague I once had at the Waynesville Mountaineer who got off a bus in Cherokee and shouted, "Where are all the f---ing Indians?" I'm pretty sure he was drunk.

I won't make the same mistake.* Doug

Doug! I was simply covering for your back side! That is what political enemies are suppose to do if they need fast allies in a fight with barbarians. Us civilized Republic Romans are suppose to stick together in a time if the empire is falling. Which reminds me of another story. I had mental breakdown many years ago and my shink put me into a high price clinc saying that the therapy would raise me to a higher level of mental state and meet new friends. Little did I know he had enrolled me into a dorm full of transgender crossdressers.

If it brings more money to schools, I say teach the the poor probability theory and governmental policy! This will be a de facto tax on those most vulnerable.

Of course, teaching them the terrible decision-making of their ways through math would eventually slow the money coming in. Is this a government program whose goal is to get rid of its funding? Or is there a happy midpoint, where just enough suckers are hooked, but their kids get wise? Once the grown-ups die off, wouldn't true success be if no one grows up to play?

Except, as the numbers of players went down, odds would improve. But the pot of moola would also shrink, making it harder for the state to generate excitement, requiring more PR (and increasing the payout for administrators).

What a conundrum!