Ah, the Arkansasn Lottery. 'Twas not in existance until voters made their voices heard yesterday. They voted for Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3 to allow AR to have lotteries to fund scholarships and grants for college.
Let me start of by admitting that I have not fully read the arguments on the subject. I am just speaking on my own uneducated opinion. Please feel free to enlighten me with any other viewpoints. I'm just too lazy (I've got better things to do) to search and read everything there is about it. So there, disclaimer finsihed.
I don't agree with it lottery. Why? Well, from my point of view, it will be those that can't really afford a lottery ticket that will be purchasing them. Those that dream of having a big bag o' cash pluncked in to their hands to make their life better are those who are struggling to make ends meet. What motivation do the "well-off" people have to buy lottery tickets? If I were "doing just fine" I wouldn't give it a thought. The rich may fund a part of it out of entertainment, sure. I feel that the majority of the funds will be coming from lower-middle class individuals, hoping for their big break. I have an idea, why don't we NOT use our money (hard-earned or government provided) on a game of chance that sports the face of helping our community and just give directly to the source? Cut out the middle-man and all the hubbub. If 10,000 people spend $1 on a ticket each week, or month or however it works, that's $10,000 that could go STRAIGHT to the school. Let the lower-middle class use their money for something that has greater odds of helping them out, like healthcare, nutritious food for their families, or education materials to enhance the opportunity for your own (or your children's) government or private party-funded scholarship.
This is from http://arkansasmatters.com:
Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3
Creating State Lotteries to Support Higher Education Scholarships and Grants Proposed Constitutional Amendment No. 3: A constitutional amendment authorizing the General Assembly to establish, operate, and regulate state lotteries to fund scholarships and grants for Arkansas citizens enrolled in certified two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Arkansas.
Support: HOPE for Arkansas, Arkansas AFL-CIO
Oppose: Family Council Action Committee, Arkansas Faith and Ethics Council, Arkansas Farm Bureau Federation, United Methodists Against Gambling
What does this amendment do? The proposal would amend the Constitution of the State of Arkansas to establish state lotteries to fund scholarships and grants for Arkansas citizens enrolled in two-year and four-year colleges and universities located in the state. The initiative specifically prohibits lotteries and the sale of lottery tickets except as provided in the proposed amendment, meaning no other entity other than the State of Arkansas would have authority to run a lottery operation. If passed by voters in November, the Arkansas General Assembly would be responsible for developing a framework of state laws to establish, operate and regulate state lotteries.
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2 comments:
ah the lottery. I don't really want ar to have the lottery either. Let me just share a conversation i once had with a gas station attendant. I may or may not have been purchasing a tennessee lottery ticket at the time :). She said that she had several people come in and spend all their money on lotto tickets. One man went in every week and spent 300 dollars on a roll of tickets hoping to win. She said that lots of people spent money they didn't have hoping to win big. The odds are just not good enough. And your probably right, the people who have the money to spend on lotto tickets probably aren't unless its just for fun. Its the people who don't have the money that are buying them.
hey, I just purused your blog on the lottery...did it actually pass?? I just moved here from CA with the worst schools in the country and I blame it on the lottery!! We had a decent budget for the schools before the lottery came. Then once it was in place, the money for the schools slowly got taken for other things and the lottery that was supposed to supliment the schools became the only money, and now if you want to educate your kids, you need to leave that state!! We've been thrilled by the schools here and now I'm a bit worried!!
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