In LaLa land where I reside, we are having a special election comming up, one bill has to do with the lottery - now mind you we already have the lottery which was touted originally to help fund the schools, but now that we are virtually almost bankrupt, teachers are being laid off left and right, funding is all but disappearing, someone bonehead put this bill together:
LOTTERY MODERNIZATION ACT.
Allows the state lottery to be modernized to improve its performance with increased payouts, improved marketing, and effective management.
Requires the state to maintain ownership of the lottery and authorizes additional accountability measures. Protects funding levels for schools currently provided by lottery revenues. Increased lottery revenues will be used to address current budget deficit and reduce the need for additional tax increases and cuts to state programs.
Summary of Legislative Analysts Estimate of Net State and Local Government Fiscal Impact:
Impact on 200910 State Budget: Allows $5 billion of borrowing from future lottery profits to help balance the 200910 state budget.
Impact on Future State Budgets: Debt-service payments on the lottery borrowing and higher payments to education would likely make it more difficult to balance future state budgets. This impact would be lessened by potentially higher lottery profits. Additional lottery borrowing would be allowed.
Maybe I am so blond the hair dye has done something to my brain cells. You don't want me sitting in my den gambling on line in my jamies, in fear I become addicted, and will be contributing to the decline of morality. If I write my State Rep, and I have emailed him a LOT about legalizing On Line Gambling I just get canned responses that reflect Terrorists, Homeland Security, Money Laundering, Organized Crime.
But you want me to pass a bill so you can legally encourage me to gamble MORE so I can help you balance the budget (like I don't pay taxes up the wazoo as it is), and a LOT more, cause you are going to be immediately borrowing 5 million from money on lottery tickets I haven't even bought yet the day after the polls close.
Honestly, just from a common sense viewpoint, people are going to gamble on line, some how, some way if they like to gamble...period. There is a LOT of money, tax the dang thing and be done with it. The government gets money, the states would get money (and wouldn't be depending on me to get their hineys out of the hole a dollar at a time)
Enough of a rant my blood pressure is starting to go up.
Marcie