Skip to comments.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - DILAPIDATED DIGS OF $232M LOTTO COWBOY
nypost.com ^
| June 7, 2009
| LACHLAN CARTWRIGHT
Posted on 06/07/2009 10:57:11 AM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
MISSION, SD -- That's a lotto junk!
Here's a peek at the "palatial" digs where newly-minted $232 million lot tery winner Neal Wan less hangs his cowboy hat at night.
Scrap metal, refrig erators and a mess of tables, lawn chairs and tires litter the grounds in front of the ramshackle trailer where the once-im poverished cowpoke lives with mom Nancy and dad Arlen.
Sheep, geese and ducks run freely on the grounds of the 320-acre ranch in this rural town of 900 where the aver age annual income is about $7,500.
The Wanless family's mobile home, standing behind a wooden gate with family members' names carved in it, is so cramped that they use three broken-down cars as storage space for clothes.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-69 next last
To: Free ThinkerNY
I don’t get the point of the article.
Is it that someone who could use the money shouldn’t have won? Is it that he’s a poor country boy and not a city slicker?
41
posted on
06/07/2009 1:44:15 PM PDT
by
R. Scott
(Humanity i love you because when you're hard up you pawn your Intelligence to buy a drink)
To: baltoga; Richard Kimball
As per usual lottery enhancement,
the $232.1 Million was the total of payments over multiple years (annuity total). The 'Present Value' of the prize was $118,005,530.33 cash, so the various taxes and costs were around $30 Million or just over 25%. This probably means that he will still owe Uncle another 10-13% (35% + AMT phaseouts) or $15.34 Million come 04/15/10, so his net in South Dakota (a non-personal income tax state) would be somewhere around $72-73 Million.
If a reader of the NY Post had won as a resident of NY State, the difference would have been striking! The State wants 8.14% and if you are so privileged to live in NY City, you owe another 4% on top of that. So, based on gross computations without the fiddling minutiae of deductions etc., a happy NYC Resident would get around $58 Million, a burden of $14 Million (why did Rush leave?).
Personally, if I could wait 6 months or so to claim the prize, I would be long gone from there before claiming it. Of course you know that they would come after you with Andrew Cuomo leading the team!
42
posted on
06/07/2009 1:49:21 PM PDT
by
SES1066
(Cycling to conserve, Conservative to save, Saving to Retire, will Retire to Cycle.)
To: ConservativeMind
“They go to basically make fun of a private guys living environment.”
In this case; after looking at the picture; they can make fun of it!
To: mnehring
Sounds good, but do true cowboys still get internet access? Because if not, that could be a deal killer.
44
posted on
06/07/2009 1:57:23 PM PDT
by
mysterio
To: 9YearLurker
What is that, a ferris wheel for gophers? It's a feeder.
Lay it on it's side and put hay in it.
Big round bales fit exactly into it.
To: Free ThinkerNY
As far as this NY Post article is concerned I think that the 'reporter' is digging for a 'fly-over country' smear. First, the guy just won the prize on May 27th, hardly enough time to get started on even seeing the money. Second, he owes back taxes and I also think that the mortgage was about to be foreclosed. Each of those needs to go first.
So what about all of the scrap in the yard? The article itself refers to; "Last fall, the Wanless' larger mobile home was repossessed and Arlen was forced to sell scrap metal to make ends meet." So where do you store that inventory that is keeping food on the table? I wonder if the 'reporter' looked at the health and cleanliness of the family, trailer, animals and barn/coops? That would inform me a whole lot more than the visual pollution?
46
posted on
06/07/2009 2:00:08 PM PDT
by
SES1066
(Cycling to conserve, Conservative to save, Saving to Retire, will Retire to Cycle.)
To: mysterio
Imagine what you could do with a well placed couple thousand dollars. Find people who are going bankrupt and pay a couple bills for them. Help a college kid. Make a car payment for somebody. Travel overseas and help a random family there. Would be neat to have that kind of money to play around with.
Didn't take you for a FReeper, Mr. Obama. ;-)
47
posted on
06/07/2009 2:13:29 PM PDT
by
Moltke
To: Moltke
Didn't take you for a FReeper, Mr. Obama. ;-)
Just for that, I'm enacting the fairness doctrine by executive order and re-enacting the sedition act.
48
posted on
06/07/2009 2:16:34 PM PDT
by
mysterio
To: mysterio
Hey, no offense - seemed like a slam-dunk. :-)
49
posted on
06/07/2009 2:25:44 PM PDT
by
Moltke
To: Jolla
Or, FARM TILL IT RUNS OUT.
50
posted on
06/07/2009 2:37:08 PM PDT
by
Waco
(Libs exhale too much.)
To: Yossarian
Nice job violating this (once) suffering familys privacy.Out of respect for the "suffering familys privacy", do you think this thread should be pulled?
51
posted on
06/07/2009 2:50:16 PM PDT
by
Doe Eyes
To: Yossarian
Your intentions are great. However, consider these possibilities: * How are you going to feel when people are ungrateful? (It would happen a large percentage of the time.); * Many (not all) people who are in trouble get there because of inherit traits. What will you do when many of them are STILL in trouble after you help them out the first time? You'll know they'll come back to you for more bailouts; * What's going to happen if/when you become known for helping people out? You'll get deluged by hard-luck stories, with 95% of them being bogus to one degree or another; One of the nicest things people have when they're poor is the illusion that money would make everything better. Win the lotto - and even that's lost.
52
posted on
06/07/2009 2:59:21 PM PDT
by
GOPJ
(Blacks/Hispanics trump other minorities because they block vote for democrats. UNFAIR.)
To: Eaker; eastforker
I got more trees and a bigger trailer. This guy needs it more than me.
When he was awarded the check he said “I want to thank the Lord for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with this great fortune. I will not squander it,”.
54
posted on
06/07/2009 3:20:13 PM PDT
by
amom
(Proud tanker mom - Remembering Tonk)
To: blam
I think that at some point in this guys life hell look back and claim that those pre-lottery win days were the best of his life.
___________
I agree but I’m glad he won.
55
posted on
06/07/2009 3:21:08 PM PDT
by
mojitojoe
(The American Revolution: 70% of the people were loyal to the King, The other 30% founded a nation.)
To: mysterio
LOL so true bud. I was watching out of Alaska this afternoon and caught myself thinking they should google edible plants.
56
posted on
06/07/2009 3:52:27 PM PDT
by
mnehring
To: humblegunner
Bet he ain’t got a midget either!
The trailer at DCS is smaller but it will have to do as we ain’t rich folks but it and the land is paid for like yours.
57
posted on
06/07/2009 4:01:05 PM PDT
by
Eaker
(The Two Loudest Sounds in the World.....Bang When it should have been Click and the Reverse.)
To: mojitojoe
"I agree but Im glad he won." Yea...me too.
58
posted on
06/07/2009 4:28:47 PM PDT
by
blam
To: Hot Tabasco
What's the worse that can happen, ending up in a little ole trailer out in the country with a ferris wheel in the front yard? No, the worst that can happen is that friends, neighbors and relatives suck him dry so that he ends up with neither friends, family or money.
People get very weird around money.
59
posted on
06/07/2009 4:34:26 PM PDT
by
Dianna
(Obama Barbie: Governing is hard.)
To: mnehring
Ever read “Into the Wild”? Good read. My mom gave me that book as a present with the warning “Don’t even think about it.” I’ll admit, I’ve thought of dropping everything and trying to make it off the land, but it’s no more than a fantasy. I’m one of those people who is only alive because of civilization. Guess I might as well embrace it.
60
posted on
06/07/2009 4:34:31 PM PDT
by
mysterio
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-69 next last
Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson