Posted on 10/21/2004 7:13:25 AM PDT by SmithPatterson
National lottery proposed to aid education By Todd DeFeo
Democratic Senate candidate Denise Majette is proposing a national lottery, saying it could raise more than $105 billion for education over 10 years.
"Professional politicians have offered nothing but the same old rhetoric," Majette, who currently represents Georgia's 4th district in the House of Representatives, said in a news release. Attempting "to offer something new," the lottery will help reduce class size, improve test scores and "provide America's children the education they deserve," she contends.
"We've seen the power of the education lottery right here in Georgia," Majette said. "It is now time to unleash the promise of a national education lottery."
Proceeds from the Georgia Lottery, approved by the Georgia General Assembly in 1992, are used to fund educational programs, primarily the HOPE Scholarship for graduating high school students with a B average or higher attending colleges in the state. Proceeds also benefit a statewide voluntary pre-kindergarten program, public libraries and capital upgrades to state schools, according to the Georgia Lottery.
Majette's Senate opponent, Republican Johnny Isakson, opposed implementing a national lottery.
"I would not propose or support any federal act that would potentially compete with, take away from or destroy Georgia's HOPE scholarship and pre-kindergarten program," Isakson, who currently represents Georgia's 6th district, said in a statement.
Likewise, Allen Buckley, the Libertarian candidate for Senate is against Majette's proposal.
"I oppose any federal involvement in education," Buckley said. "I think it should all be handled at a state and local level."
According to Majette, the national lottery could generate between $70 billion and $141 billion over 10 years. And the national lottery, offering a "huge jackpot," wouldn't compete with the current Georgia Lottery because they are "two different kinds of competition," Majette's campaign spokesman Rick Dent said.
It is unclear how much money local school systems might receive from a national lottery, as the details about exactly how the money would be distributed have not been finalized.
"As with the state lottery, if a national lottery is instituted, I would hope that the funds directed toward education would further enhance and not supplant any of the current federal funding," Henry County Schools Superintendent Jack Parish said.
Between 1994 and 2002, Henry County Schools received about $5.6 million from the Georgia lottery for technology, school officials said. However, since 2003, the school system has received no funding from the Georgia Lottery.
Should the lottery be implemented, Majette believes the cost would be "relatively low," especially for the 40 states that already have lotteries. States without lotteries could opt out of the program.
In addition to money raised for schools, the federal government would reimburse states for allowing it to opt in to their current lottery infrastructures, Majette said.
Is this winning "Life's Lottery" according to Gephardt?
If you really want to aid education, get rid of the NEA.
what a bunch of hooey!
The lottery was supposed to solve all our public school financial problems in CA...
and did it? NO!
NY says it's lottery is for edumacation yet most of it goes to the general fund for political pork. Why not just sell government rolled marijuana and have all profits go to education....that would raise even more money.
And 2 years later they wanted more tax increases to help the shortfall. At least voting is easier - if they want more money I just say "no."
I remember that big lie also... the schools ended up getting practically nothing.
Somehow I don't think the education funding would include Probability & Statistics...
yep, they always claim it will give tax relief in a certain area, but then they turn around and just spend more. So th e relief never materializes and they end up with more money.
Lottery = voluntary tax on the poor.
"Somehow I don't think the education funding would include Probability & Statistics..."
There is a certain irony in letting the mathematically-challenged pay for the education of others.
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