LOTTERY - THE NATION'S ONLY VOLUNTARY FORM OF INCOME TAXATION, & ONE THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS THE POOR ::

I've never purchased a lottery ticket of any sort in my entire life. And I lived for years in Illinois & California - two places where the lottery is practically its own religion. EVERYONE in Chicago plays lotto. Basically I'm far too left-brain dominant. I think my way out of it (& all forms of gambling, for that matter... When I go to Vegas & see those mega hotel/casinos with million dollar chandeliers hanging from the ceiling I can't help but to think, "they aren't able to build these places b/c the patrons WIN so much.")

But back to lottery - I just cannot find a way to derive pleasure from striking a match to my hard-earned dollars. The chances of winning the Powerball/MegaMillions jackpot is approx. 1-in-143 million. That's a statistical impossibility. A rational person does not even take such odds seriously. ...

In talking with a friend who'd bought her 2 Powerball tix last month on the premise that, "hey, someone has to win" (which is exactly what they want you to think) I said to her,

If some random stranger on the street came up to you and said, "I'll bet you 5 dollars right here & now that I can GUESS your birthday", would you take that bet? Yes, of course you would. "OK, bet's on, ....aaaah, April 19th." "WRONG! Gimme my 5 bucks." Anyone would take that bet, what are the chances of winning?"

Well, the chances are quite easy to figure; 1-in-365. I asked, "Do you have ANY idea how much BETTER a chance a random stranger has of guessing your birthday than you have of winning the Powerball?? 1-in-65 vs. 1-in-143 MILLION?! Its not even close."

You have a better chance of being struck by lightening on the 4th of July. Statistically, this is accurate. "Well, *somebody* wins." Yes, and every summer *somebody* gets struck by lightening.

Its a voluntary form of taxation & know what, if you go to the part of town where the million dollar houses are - virtually none of those people play. Go down to da hood, everybody's playing. And losing. Taking their flat-broke behinds down to the store, buying cigarettes & lotto tickets. Working on lung or throat cancer, then throwing those useless lotto tickets in the trash (once they've lost & the paper is useless), and in many cases sticking you and I with the bill. The people you read about in books like "The Millionaire Next Door" realize that fortunes do not happen by chance. They happen as a result of intelligence, dedication, hard work, risk management, stick-to-it-ness.

If you play that thing - go on with your bad self. Its your money, spend as you please, none of my bees wax. Personally, I just can't go there.