4 ms·

A good reason to dump the lottery. With the money they would save, we could just institute a open 'poor tax' and be done with it.

• wmeredith 18y ago
  The lottery is a stupid tax, not a poor tax.
  • astine 18y ago
    When was the last time a rich man purchased a lottery ticket? The majority of lottery patrons are within the lower tax brackets. Maybe its because poor people are stupid, or just have poor money sense, (hence, perhaps, the reason they are poor:\) or maybe it is because they stand more to gain from a winning ticket; either way, it has a disproportionate effect on the lower classes and is a quintessential example of hypocrisy in our government and laws.
    • Herring 18y ago
      By the same logic, you could argue mcdonalds has a disproportionate effect on fat people. There'll always be gamblers. Maybe this way some good comes out of it.
      • astine 18y ago
        Then you misunderstand the logic. Begin fat does not motivate one eat fast-food. Being poor does motivate someone to buy a lottery ticket. "There'll always be gamblers. Maybe this way some good comes out of it." "There'll always be suicidal people. Maybe if give them organ donor cards some good comes out of it." Sanctioning self destructive behavior for the sake of gain is tantamount to performing the act itself.
        • Herring 18y ago
          >Then you misunderstand the logic. >Begin fat does not motivate one eat fast-food. >Being poor does motivate someone to buy a lottery ticket. > No you never had a causal link. In fact you already said they could both be caused by other factors (poor money sense) and it didn't matter - poverty & ticket buying are correlated therefore that's hypocrisy. In the same way, some genetic factor could both make you fat & make you eat mcdonalds.
    • edw519 18y ago
      When was the last time a rich man purchased a lottery ticket? When was the last time anyone purchased a lottery ticket with a gun to their head?