Poor people & taxes (how much, military, school, economic)
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I'm fascinated by this and I'm anxious to hear what others have to say. I live in North Carolina where we never had a state lottery until just a couple of years ago. The thing is, the overwhelming majority of the people that I see purchasing lottery tickets are obviously lower middle class and poor people. It isn't unusual to see a customer in line at the local mini mart buying a six pack, some smokes and $10 worth of lottery tickets. Personally, I love the fact that the very class of people that supposedly can't afford to pay taxes will line up and volunteer their money in exchange for a shot at getting rich.
Anyway what a brilliant idea the lottery was! No need for forced taxation of the poor. Just mad that I didn't think of it.
I always thought the lottery was a bit... funny... the lottery is state-sanctioned but the people who run it make millions a year... obviously not government employees... if it makes so much money, why doesn't the state take it over and use the money to supplement the money for things like Medicaid and other services for the poor... but that's just me... I know the fund education with it, but it seems a waste for one program that isn't held accountable for improvement...
The same thing is true here in MD, the poorest 10 or 15 Zip Codes buy 80% of the Lottery tickets. We also have Keno and computerized horse racing along with a couple different daily drawings, Mega Millions, Power Ball and a bunch of scratch-offs.
I always thought the lottery was a bit... funny... the lottery is state-sanctioned but the people who run it make millions a year... obviously not government employees... if it makes so much money, why doesn't the state take it over and use the money to supplement the money for things like Medicaid and other services for the poor... but that's just me...
The Texas State Lottery has contributed roughly $1 billion a year to public education since it was created. Not sure if other states do this. Using it for medical expenses wouldn't be a half bad idea either.
I'm fascinated by this and I'm anxious to hear what others have to say. I live in North Carolina where we never had a state lottery until just a couple of years ago. The thing is, the overwhelming majority of the people that I see purchasing lottery tickets are obviously lower middle class and poor people. It isn't unusual to see a customer in line at the local mini mart buying a six pack, some smokes and $10 worth of lottery tickets. Personally, I love the fact that the very class of people that supposedly can't afford to pay taxes will line up and volunteer their money in exchange for a shot at getting rich.
Anyway what a brilliant idea the lottery was! No need for forced taxation of the poor. Just mad that I didn't think of it.
Middle and upper class people know better than to waste their money on lottery. A lottery is nothing more than a voluntary tax on the poor and those who have no clue how to manage their money.
Middle and upper class people know better than to waste their money on lottery. A lottery is nothing more than a voluntary tax on the poor and those who have no clue how to manage their money.
We've got the lottery in Illinois too. It was originally supposed to "save" education funding in the state. No idea where the $$ actually goes though.
It is interesting the people who do buy the tickets. I always hate getting stuck behind someone in line with those lottery ticket orders where they actually pick the numbers as opposed to doing quick picks.
lottery is a tax on the uneducated, for the most part.
if you try to explain it to the stereotypical HS grad who spends 50-100 bucks a month on the lottery (or gambling for that matter) they either can't or won't grasp the odds since the reward (to them) is worth any risk.
however, we must also remember the "meme" that "the poor don't pay taxes" is patently false
they benefit the least from tax revenue and in proportion to their income pay the most
since we live in upside-down world, the people who benefit the most from tax revenue pay the least, and they are the wealthy.
our taxes go to fund the roads, bridges, police, military and other infrastructure that allow them to make money, yet for now, they pay the least.
most poor live in a small world and consume very little on the macro economic scale, let we are lectured about how they "live off the government"
the real deadbeats are those who reap what we sew and tend
I believe the reason for the lottery was to fund school. Whatever happened to that.
I live in NJ and I was told the income tax is created to fund school. Then when I look at my property tax bill, over 70% go to school as well. So how much money is needed for school? Or the money go into the packet or insider. Since there is no audit, they can just say unaccountable and get away from it.
Anyway, back to topic. The reason why the poor and low income earner play lottery is because they lack of basic math skill. If you do the math, your odd is a lot higher with roulette than buying a lottery ticket.
Rich people or financial educated people don't play lotto because they understand the odd. Sure, some body will win, but the odd is so small that it make no different than just throwing away the money away.
I do play $1 whenever they have a new record jackpot.
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Using it for medical expenses wouldn't be a half bad idea either.
