Why does the Lottery issue always come up short?

[BRONX BOY]

Why does the state government always put the Lottery issue on the back burner?

I know that there are other pressing matters to deal with, but geesh!! I read that the government ended their session last night with a few real issues on the table, and said that they won't be addressed until next May. I'm sorry, but I strongly believe that a state lottery would help the state of NC in many ways....So what's the hold up?

[MZT]

I think part of it is that being the remaining state with no lottery, we can see that lotteries haven't been the budget salvation in other states that they were proposed to be.

I'm pretty close to ambivalent about it all, myself. But I think the proposed lottery was pretty unimpressive and probably deserved a quiet death. 50% payout? Come on! Why bother. Talk about using the state, to prey on the weak-minded.....

[RiverwoodCLT]

They do not want us to pay the lottery, because it may take money away from the poor people. They rather for us to support SC, Va, Tenn, & Ga lotteries. It makes me mad to know most people in NC would vote for a lottery, but there are a few who think they know what is best for us.

They are so chicken in Raleigh, that they will never let us vote on one

I know people in NC play the lottery, because they have won here. They are not going to keep us from playing the lottery, if they do not pass the lottery bill.

Who knows how many millions of dollars go out of NC every year to other states

lotteries.

By the way, I do not play the lottery, and would not play if there was one in NC.

I just do not like how short sighted some people are.

[NCMike1981]

I thought the lottery was passed and that we were going to get one then I read the front page of the News & Observer yesterday and was like "wtf?!" oh well there's always Virginia....

[CSP]

We should'nt have to cross the border just to get a ticket; what if you dont live near SC, Va, or Tenn and have to cross thru 3 counties? Why don't you just move to SC altogether? Regardless it still takes gas and a pretty dollar in your pocket!

[quazi]

NC needs a lottery like we need a holw in our head. In no stte has the lottery solved budget problems. I think we should allow a private lottery. Have some company set up a lottery and levy a tax against them. The state should not run a lottery just like it should run a brothel and we should also get out of the liquor business. Nothing against those activites but should the state be doing them?

[DigitalSky]

maybe it's just not meant to be?

[MR-2]

Agreed with the notion that a lottery won't help our budget. I guess we might as well have one so lottery-addicts don't sell their pockets to neighboring states, but we honestly aren't losing much money from that.

[urbanesq]

The state Senate has voted 25-24 in favor of legislation to create a lottery in North Carolina. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue cast the deciding vote to break a tie. The legislation now goes to Gov. Mike Easley to be signed into law. Sens. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, and John Garwood, R-Wilkes, were not present, but apparently did not request "pairs" so that their votes be counted in their absence.

link to N&O article here

[BRONX BOY]

The state Senate has voted 25-24 in favor of legislation to create a lottery in North Carolina. Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue cast the deciding vote to break a tie. The legislation now goes to Gov. Mike Easley to be signed into law. Sens. Harry Brown, R-Onslow, and John Garwood, R-Wilkes, were not present, but apparently did not request "pairs" so that their votes be counted in their absence.

link to N&O article here

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Finally!!! Somebody sees the light!!! I think this lottery will definately help the NC educational system. Congrats NC!!! Now all the $$$ that people were spending in VA & SC can stay put.

[sax184]

  Finally!!! Somebody sees the light!!! I think this lottery will definately help the NC educational system. Congrats NC!!! Now all the $$$ that people were spending in VA & SC can stay put.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Couldn't disagree more. As someone who grew up in a lottery state, education never improved. Anti-tax zealots in the legislature just kept trimming down the non-lottery portion of the budget for education.

The way this was passed is one of the most pathetic, underhanded acts of misgovernance I've seen in ten years of living in NC.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/276...p-9207513c.html

The desperate pleas for an education lottery ultimately masked this sentiment: "We don't believe that if we asked the citizens of NC to raise their own taxes to better educate their own children, they'd say yes. Therefore, we'll hold out the false hope of riches to people who can least afford to gamble in order to keep from having to ask middle-class parents to pay for improvign their children's schooling because we think they're cheap."

If this is the way we have to fund education improvements in NC, then we really don't care about education, we just pretend we do.

[monsoon]

I've heard that it has passed.

[turbocraig]

I grew up and was educatd in a lottery state as well. Frankly, there had always been a lottery as long as I could remember, so I don't really have a direct pre and post comparison, but I think its about time NC pulled its head out of the sand and faced the reality that NC money has been flowing over its borders for far too long.

Now, this statement isn't aimed at any one (anti-lottery) person on this board, but I do have to shake my head when I hear the "oh, but what about the poor? What will they do?" argument. It really chaps me when people use the poor as a reason to oppose anything they don't agree with. I wonder how many of these "champions of the disadvantaged" have ever volunteered at Crisis Ministry or any shelter. How many have bought a homeless person dinner? How many have provided them contact information on how to get help? I'm going to go ahead and say probably none. But bring up The Lottery and we've suddenly got half a state full of Mother Theresas. God bless each and every one of you...

Oh, and another thing before I step off this box: If you didn't help someone else earn their paycheck, no matter how small you deem it to be, then don't tell them how to spend it.

Just my $.02.

[nyxmike]

I grew up and was educatd in a lottery state as well.  Frankly, there had always been a lottery as long as I could remember, so I don't really have a direct pre and post comparison, but I think its about time NC pulled its head out of the sand and faced the reality that NC money has been flowing over its borders for far too long. 

Now, this statement isn't aimed at any one (anti-lottery) person on this board, but I do have to shake my head when I hear the "oh, but what about the poor?  What will they do?" argument.  It really chaps me when people use the poor as a reason to oppose anything they don't agree with.  I wonder how many of these "champions of the disadvantaged" have ever volunteered at Crisis Ministry or any shelter.  How many have bought a homeless person dinner?  How many have provided them contact information on how to get help?  I'm going to go ahead and say probably none.  But bring up The Lottery and we've suddenly got half a state full of Mother Theresas.  God bless each and every one of you...

Oh, and another thing before I step off this box:  If you didn't help someone else earn their paycheck, no matter how small you deem it to be, then don't tell them how to spend it.

Just my $.02.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Haha - I couldn't agree with you more. It's about time...

And having grown up in NY, poor people are not the only ones to play the lotto - plenty of middle class and wealthy people play it too.

[urbanesq]

^^ given the known consumption patterns of lottery tickets, it's hard to get around that the lottery is, at least in practice, essentially a regressive tax, whether one is in favor of it or not. It occurs to me that the parties who benefit most are the companies who run the game.

Now then: while I appreciate the opinion, and I'm no Mother Teresa-- and I certainly can't speak for others-- I personally have done lots of volunteering for a variety of causes intended to alleviate poverty for individuals and for the community as a whole, from building houses to delivering and serving meals, to pro bono work for non-profits to campaign work for candidates I thought would better address poverty and urban poverty in particular. I've taken my kids to shelters and soup kitchens and they've volunteered in various capacities on their own (as best an 8 and 10 y.o. can), and my wife has long volunteered teaching adult basic skills and GED courses, mostly to economically disadvantaged persons.

So, trusting that the above-referenced public service entitles one to one's opinion, the anti-lottery "because of the poor" argument seems at least as logical as the pro-lottery "but everyone else is doing it" argument.

That said, looks like the subject has been settled in favor of the lottery.

So we'll all save on gas to Va. now, right?

[DigitalSky]

maybe it's just not meant to be?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i stand corrected

[turbocraig]

^^ given the known consumption patterns of lottery tickets, it's hard to get around that the lottery is, at least in practice, essentially a regressive tax, whether one is in favor of it or not.  It occurs to me that the parties who benefit most are the companies who run the game.

Now then:  while I appreciate the opinion, and I'm no Mother Teresa-- and I certainly can't speak for others-- I personally have done lots of volunteering for a variety of causes intended to alleviate poverty for individuals and for the community as a whole, from building houses to delivering and serving meals, to pro bono work for non-profits to campaign work for candidates I thought would better address poverty and urban poverty in particular.  I've taken my kids to shelters and soup kitchens and they've volunteered in various capacities on their own (as best an 8 and 10 y.o. can), and my wife has long volunteered teaching adult basic skills and GED courses, mostly to economically disadvantaged persons.

So, trusting that the above-referenced public service entitles one to one's opinion, the anti-lottery "because of the poor" argument seems at least as logical as the pro-lottery "but everyone else is doing it" argument.

That said, looks like the subject has been settled in favor of the lottery.

So we'll all save on gas to Va. now, right?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

urbanesq, first let me applaud you and your family's commitment to helping the disadvantaged. The world needs more people like you. And no, it's not required in order for anyone to have an opinion or we'd have far fewer respondents, wouldn't we?

I have to disagree with your point here. The "poor argument" would, at best, be conjecture at this stage since we don't yet have the demographics for an NC-based lottery. God, how do they even do that? You don't fill out a profile to buy a scratch-off ticket. And even if we did have the figures, who cares? It's their money. I'll spend mine the way I want to. Who is anyone to tell me differently?

The "but everyone else is doing it" is precisely the reason we need this. Frankly, I don't really care if a rich person's dollar or a "poor" person's dollar is funding education. As long as it's NC education.

But I do agree with you on the fuel savings.

[BRONX BOY]

Haha - I couldn't agree with you more. It's about time...

And having grown up in NY, poor people are not the only ones to play the lotto - plenty of middle class and wealthy people play it too.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I couldn't agree with you more NYXMIKE!!! I from NY & still live here. I can't understand why everyone thinks only the poor are going to play or be affected by the lottery. People from ALL walks of life play lotto in the Tri-State area. As I said before, it's going to do good things for the state. If they didn't think it would, they wouldn't have passed it.

[BRONX BOY]

Couldn't disagree more.  As someone who grew up in a lottery state, education never improved.  Anti-tax zealots in the legislature just kept trimming down the non-lottery portion of the budget for education. 

The way this was passed is one of the most pathetic, underhanded acts of misgovernance I've seen in ten years of living in NC. 

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/276...p-9207513c.html

The desperate pleas for an education lottery ultimately masked this sentiment: "We don't believe that if we asked the citizens of NC to raise their own taxes to better educate their own children, they'd say yes.  Therefore, we'll hold out the false hope of riches to people who can least afford to gamble in order to keep from having to ask middle-class parents to pay for improvign their children's schooling because we think they're cheap."

If this is the way we have to fund education improvements in NC, then we really don't care about education, we just pretend we do.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I too grew up in a state with a lotto(NY).Regardless of how the NC State Gov went about it, it was done. Those that voted for it, saw the need for it (WHATEVER THAT MAY BE). Nothing happens over night, you don't know & neither do I what the state will do with the $$$ generated from the lottery, let's both hope they do the right thing.. I mean NC isn't NY, so it might not become as corrupted as I'm sure that's what some of you are thinking. I think it will get used wisely in NC.

[urbanesq]

Fair point re: the unknown demographics of an NC lottery (although I thought I had read a study based on polling/other research that projected such?), and of the demographics of purchasers of lottery tickets elsewhere. Hope that's correct.

I agree with previous poster that if we truly value education, there are more affirmative ways to fund it.

I also hope that the Gen Assembly won't take an equivalent amount of education $$ out of the general fund, as has been shown to happen in other states.

And, all that said, I'll probably end up imposing an additional tax on myself by buying a ticket every now and then, just like everybody else.

[urbanesq]

Regardless of how the NC State Gov went about it, it was done. Those that voted for it, saw the need for it (WHATEVER THAT MAY BE). Nothing happens over night

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it's important to note that while the bill was approved by a majority vote in the NC House, the majority of senators opposed the lottery bill this session. It was an early dismissal, then unexpected recall of the body that resulted in the absence of 2 opponents and thus the tie vote, broken by the Lt. Gov. True, nothing illegal there, but it was skillful political maneuvering resulting in ratification of a bill by less than a majority of our elected representatives. I don't have a problem with it on this issue per se, but that type of thing (like, oh... I dunno... recent presidential elections, for example) is always disconcerting.

you don't know & neither do I what the state will do with the $$$ generated from the lottery, let's both hope they do the right thing.. I mean NC isn't NY, so it might not become as corrupted as I'm sure that's what some of you are thinking. I think it will get used wisely in NC. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The NC lottery bill specifically allocates the $$ for education. The title of the legislation is: "AN ACT to establish a state lottery TO SUPPORT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION, TO FUND COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS, AND TO GENERATE FUNDS to further the goal of providing enhanced educational opportunities so that all students in the public schools can achieve their full potential, as recommended by the house select committee on the lottery."

(text of the bill, by the way, can be found on the General Assembly's webpage: here )

Prior bills did not do this, and they failed, which is likely why this one was drafted that way. Hard to imagine that there won't be corruption with that kind of money in play, but we'll hope for the best.

[BRONX BOY]

I think it's important to note that while the bill was approved by a majority vote in the NC House, the majority of senators opposed the lottery bill this session.  It was an early dismissal, then unexpected recall of the body that resulted in the absence of 2 opponents and thus the tie vote, broken by the Lt. Gov.  True, nothing illegal there, but it was skillful political maneuvering resulting in ratification of a bill by less than a majority of our elected representatives.  I don't have a problem with it on this issue per se, but that type of thing (like, oh... I dunno...  recent presidential elections, for example) is always disconcerting.

The NC lottery bill specifically allocates the $$ for education.  The title of the legislation is: "AN ACT to establish a state lottery TO SUPPORT SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION, TO FUND COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS, AND TO GENERATE FUNDS to further the goal of providing enhanced educational opportunities so that all students in the public schools can achieve their full potential, as recommended by the house select committee on the lottery."

(text of the bill, by the way, can be found on the General Assembly's webpage: here )

Prior bills did not do this, and they failed, which is likely why this one was drafted that way.  Hard to imagine that there won't be corruption with that kind of money in play, but we'll hope for the best.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah....my comment regarding the corruption was "wishful thinking". But I'm thinking positive about the lottery for the state. My mom lives there, it would be nice to play a game or two when I'm there visiting....