NC House rejects lottery referendum

I like Walter William's view. FOR the lottery because its a tax on poor people. Largly poor(er) folks play the lottery. They don't pay taxes. They should pay taxes. The lottery is a way for them to pay their taxes. That simple.

I agree with your statement that the lottery is a tax on poor people. But the lottery has done nothing to bring my tax burden down. The government just keeps the extra money and continues to tax me just the same. If my tax burden was lessened by the the poor (and/or stupid) buying lottery tickets, then I might become a bigger fan of the lottery.

If you will be honest...come on try...When someone is addicted to gambling, and leaves a baby in a car, that then dies....it does point to something NOT good about video poker....I am not saying that video poker always leads to addiction and children dying....But, you supporters of lotto need to stop avoiding the questions: Do you thing education needs more money to solve its' problems?...Do you think it is better to encourage savings and investment (which do IMPROVE one's station in life) or to encourage a 1 in 13,000,000 hope of getting rich quick?

Was this post directed at something I posted? Maybe you mixed me up with someone else?

Response to your post #53. However, you are probably right that this was meant more for another poster. I apologize. It is not the first time I have crossed up poster responses. The child that died in the car while her mom played video poker occured in South Carolina, so you probably would not have heard of it. So what DID Roy do in Georgia concerning video poker?

So what DID Roy do in Georgia concerning video poker?

He led the brave fight in the Legislature to ban it. As I said before, presumably because the Sikhs and Hindis were cutting into the State's action. No organized crime syndicate tolerates that.

But what was his arugment, or reason? Were they a violation of the State Constitution, as was the case in SC?....If not, I agree with you that he did not want the state to have competition for monies....as I have stated, I oppose the lottery (and I admit for religious reasons). But I also oppose the lottery because it is a false promise to improve education, and I NOT like giving more money to the same ones who broke the education system in the first place.

But what was his arugment, or reason?

Video poker was tolerated because there were, ostensibly, no cash payoffs, only coupons. This set-up was arguably not a violation of state laws concerning gambling (don't know the Constitutional status of them). When it became known that coupons were being redeemed with cash by the video poker operators, the state had all the reason it needed to enact more comprehensive prohibition.

But I also oppose the lottery because it is a false promise to improve education, and I NOT like giving more money to the same ones who broke the education system in the first place.

I am ambivalent about the state lottery. Like you, I am opposed to more funding for state education programs, but then again, I am opposed to increased funding for most state activities. Also, why should the state be allowed to have a monopoly on gambling? The fact that proceeds are purportedly used for a "noble" purpose does not mitigate the fact that the act itself is immoral, according to the more stridently religious lawmakers.

But on the other hand, the lottery is a tax on the stupid. :)

In the end, though, the lottery, and education, is not in my opinion a valid endeavor for state govt to be involved in.

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