Monday, October 10, 2005

$$$ OKLAHOMA LOTTO $$$

Whether or not you agree with the new Oklahoma lotteries that are beginning this week, I’m not in favor of it.

Here’s why.  Many years ago Oklahoma ok’d horse racing.  It was going to be the savior of the state.  Now we’ve passed gaming bills to allow gaming at the tracks to bail them out.  The information we were given regarding real gaming at casinos and tracks said that it would bring in $5.4 million a MONTH.  Now the numbers are in and it’s only going to bring in $5.4 million a YEAR.  This rubs me like the new tobacco tax we had to have.  The revenue isn’t what they said, yet they already have new programs that now they can’t fund with it.  Gee, where is the money going to come from?  I firmly believe they aren’t going to cut programs.

Looking at these things I just can’t imagine that the lotto is going to do much for us.  Maybe you disagree, but as for me I’m glad I voted no.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

It really hacks me when they always promote their schemes (horse racing, lottos, casino gambing, etc.) as something that is really going to benefit education or roads or some such thing. Oklahoma has passed come of the requested ideas, but very few, if any, have ever lived up to their promise of helping what they say their program will.

I voted "NO" on the gasoline tax increase because I saw it merely as a way fot the legislature to state that since the gas tax would fix roads and bridges, then they would ignore their responsibility to the state of Oklahoma and divert highway funds to the general fund or to pet projects.

Personally, I say remove their shoes and bring on the hot coals.

Sara said...

Good point Terry.

I actually didn't get to vote on the gas tax, but I was going to vote no. My absentee ballot got here a week after my husbands and I sent off the request the same day.

I just wish the state would learn how to run a budget like most people do. I could run myself totally into debt, but instead I cut back on things I don't need to stay within my budget. If the normal citizen has to work to get into the black and out of the red so should our state. They aren't deserving of more money.

Ditto said...

I've rarely seen a case where the politicians weren't able to spend all the money they got their hands on. The more money they raise, the more money they will spend. The lotto will just be another way they can fund their pork projects without having to raise taxes. Kudos to you for trying to keep more money out of their rapacious hands.

Sara said...

Thanks Ditto,

I claim to be a Capitolist before I claim Republican.

There are even times when my husband and I get so up in arms we debate running for office. Had we remained in Oklahoma City, where our state rep was a D, one of us would have. Now we are in a pretty white collar R area (w/ a new state senator and rep), so we'll see what these people will do before we jump in. Jonathan is making more money here so if one of us runs, it looks like it would be me. I'm not sure I have the patients.

Anonymous said...

Just to chime in on the Lotto again, I find so much of it as hypocritical. While many claim it is a good thing, they then claim it wouldn't be a good thing to sell tickets where people may be trying to get debt relief. Places like check loan businesses, pawn shops, etc. Well, if we shouldn't be selling tickets there, where is the justification for selling tickets at all?

Even when they were trying to "sell" the whole idea, they had to come up with the notion that "some" of the money generated needed to be set aside for "gambler's counseling".

Is it not disingenuous that creating the lotto is actually creating whole new problems for Oklahoma? When trying to justify the whole lottery thing, Governor Henry had to admit that "OK, maybe the lottery isn't morally right."

Anonymous said...

I am also out on the Lotto. I am from Kansas and when I was little the Lotto was passed to help out the school system. Let me tell you, the school system in Kansas, despite the success of the Lotto, is in complete shambles. When it is all said and done, the amount of money that will go toward the school system is about 1% or something like that. Not only that, but eventually taxes will increase to pay for those that end up on welfare due to gambling problems. That might be a bit over dramatic, but it is a possibility. If you want to gamble people, go to Texas or Vegas.