[Fungi]

“The house always wins. Who can’t understand that?”
The stupid people who play the lottery. But I have seen people with a lot of money pool their play when the jackpot gos up to astronomical figures. Poor fools, they don't understand that the odds of winning are the same no matter the prize, they just feel they should play due to the high prize. I never play. In California, as probably in all states, it was instituted deceptively to “help the schools.” Well what happened? The schools are still short of money--and always will be-- but the public IS NEVER GIVEN AN ACCOUNTING OF WHERE THE LOTTERY MONEY GOES, WHAT IS LEFT AND WHERE THAT IS. The state can lie when it wants with immunity, but you cannot.

[sargon]

Since lottery "taxes" are voluntarily paid by those who wish to have a chance at winning a large amount, versus very low odds of doing so, that's fine by me.

The more taxes that are paid in that manner means that there can be fewer of the odious ones which are imposed on everybody.

Heck, they should create more lotteries and use them to raise all tax revenue, as far as I'm concerned.

Why not a Federal lottery? Seems like a creative way to raise revenue in a voluntary manner.

[fireman15]

In California, as probably in all states, it was instituted deceptively to “help the schools.” Well what happened? The schools are still short of money—and always will be.

It is the same in Washington State. In inflation adjusted dollars it now costs taxpayers 3 times what it did in 1970 for a K through 12th grade education. Standardized achievement tests show that the average student performs exactly 0% better than they did in 1970. That however is because standardized achievement tests have been dumbed down.

http://www.intellectualtakeout.org/library/chart-graph/inflation-adjusted-cost-k-12-public-education-and-percent-change-achievement-17-year-olds-1970