Replies

Largest welfare payment in history. $376.9 million cash-out option. I'm sorry and you all can flame me if you want but there's something radically wrong with a society that encourages this kind of dangerous unearned unjustified wealth transfer. The wealth does not reflect any enduring contribution or sustained economic activity added by the winner to the real economy in any way shape or form. And I'm not talking about the winner becoming a super consumer of goods and other people's services and unloading some of the winnings into the consumer economy. That is only one half of the equation. Gambling is NOT a builder of GNP the way a successful business creating employment and adding new technology to life and solving problems or creating solutions to old problems does. Winning a couple of hundred thou as a jackpot is one thing--but this--is insanity. The kind of serious societal power and influence that $590 million represents should NOT be available to any Tom Dick or Jane or Jose walkikng into a 7-eleven just based on chance. The destructive consequences of someone with no knowledge or ability or education or intelligence or self-discipline or managerial skill handling such enormous economic power is incalculable. I don't know if any studies have been done on the subject but the negative consequences of this magnitude of windfall wealth uncoupled to any type of accomplishment transferred into incapable hands (think about giving a fifteen year old the key to the nuclear arsenal--it's the same thing!) has probably not been investigated, but needs to be because this type of serious wealth transfer is too fraught with peril for everyone of us, not just the winner. At this level we are not talking about money anymore. This is tremendous influence and power placed into the hands of babes.

This is without a doubt one of the craziest threads I have read on FR that didn’t deal with EVILLL smokers.

Here’s a novel idea...you don’t like the lottery..don’t buy a ticket.

But the high handed criticism of people who engage in a legal activity is almost amusing..if it weren’t so sad on a site such as this.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I didn’t have a winning Ticket either.

LOL

However, my Wife and I did win $5,500 on a Megabucks Slot Machine back in 1990 at the Las Vegas Mirage. Dropped in $3 and ding - ding - ding.

Haven’t won a dime since...