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If you have to have a tax

November 27th, 2012 at 9:17:44 PM permalink

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 189
Posts: 18762

Most people (afaik) don't think of the lottery as a tax. That's the genius of it.

In the movie Logan's Run, death is disquised as "rejuvenation". People (who are naive anyway) look forward to it.

But still, there's a certain brilliance is finding a way to make any onerous thing, desirable. If for some reason you need to.

Quote:
The record Powerball jackpot is certain to yield mostly losers, but not the states that sell tickets — with a haul that keeps coffers stocked to benefit everything from education to treatment for compulsive gambling.

Swollen by an estimated $289 million in tickets sold since Saturday's drawing yielded no winners, the jackpot has reached $500 million — $327 million for the cash option — for Wednesday night's drawing. It's the highest Powerball ever, and second only to March's $656 million Mega Millions prize among U.S. lottery jackpots. Officials say the fever sparked by huge prizes prompts casual players to buy tickets and hard core players to buy more than usual, with the extra money going to ever-bigger prizes and fat takes for the states that participate.

“It means more kids going to college, more drugs for the elderly in Pennsylvania.”

- Charles Strutt, spokesman for the Multi-State Lottery Association

“Lotteries did around $61 billion in the U.S. last year, and just under 35 percent goes to state causes,” said Charles Strutt, executive director of the Multi-State Lottery Association. “Fifty percent of that goes to the state, but 35 percent is profit and goes to state programs.”

You believe in an invisible god, and dismiss people who say they are trans? Really?

November 28th, 2012 at 6:36:40 AM permalink
AZDuffman Member since: Oct 24, 2012 Threads: 135 Posts: 18210	Lotteries have been used as a hidden tax forever. I just giggle when people ask if I am playing one or want to join a pool. I would prefer we had even more if them and the funded dedicated and isolated things. Iow a program is funded by the lottery but if it is a bad year tiugh luck. Overages go into a rainy day fund. The President is a fink.

November 28th, 2012 at 7:12:00 AM permalink

Nareed

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 346
Posts: 12545

Quote: rxwine
In the movie Logan's Run, death is disquised as "rejuvenation".

"Renewal," at least in the movie. At the Carousel, the crowds chant "Renew! Renew!"

But how popular would the lottery be if the prizes were like this:

1) We'll give you your ticket investments back when you're 70, with the lowest possible interest rate between then and now. If we have the money by then
2) The prize pool will be divided among people we choose, who did not buy any tickets.

Donald Trump is a one-term LOSER

November 30th, 2012 at 2:04:12 PM permalink

98Clubs

Member since: Nov 11, 2012
Threads: 2
Posts: 75

If I had to have a tax, I'd say raise the "Social Security" tax from 10 to 15%. Keep the rest of the income tax where it is, and raise the Divi/Gains tax to 20%.
That should piss everybody off, from Business down to the burger-flipper. Thats what our government should do... the same that they always do !!!

There are four things certain in life... Death, Taxes, the Resistance to them, and Stupidity.

December 1st, 2012 at 5:57:49 AM permalink

RonC

Member since: Nov 7, 2012
Threads: 8
Posts: 2510

The problem with lotteries is that the "reason" for their creation gets forgotten along the way when politicians see MONEY they can spend or divert from the intended purpose. Look at lotteries created to help "education". Have they added EXTRA funds for education or did they simply put those funds in education and just used them to keep educational funding the same?

(Note: I know that throwing money at education does not work, but that is what these things were often sold as...increases in funding to education. An increase means you ADD lottery income to the current budgeted amounts.)

December 1st, 2012 at 8:08:25 AM permalink

AZDuffman

Member since: Oct 24, 2012
Threads: 135
Posts: 18210

Quote: RonC
The problem with lotteries is that the "reason" for their creation gets forgotten along the way when politicians see MONEY they can spend or divert from the intended purpose. Look at lotteries created to help "education". Have they added EXTRA funds for education or did they simply put those funds in education and just used them to keep educational funding the same?

(Note: I know that throwing money at education does not work, but that is what these things were often sold as...increases in funding to education. An increase means you ADD lottery income to the current budgeted amounts.)

In PA it tool 100+ years to get rid of a tax for the Johnstown Flood. In PIT there was a 1% drink tax dedicated to transit, brough in way more money than they thought so the pols hands were all in the cookie jar. Heck, once here in PA some politician noticed an overfunded pension and wanted to spend it on god knows what. That one got shot down fast.

The problem seems to be sequestering the money. Say we decisded tomorrow that all federal roads would be funded by a motor fuels tax, whatever it came out to be. That tax could be used for nothing else, nothing else could fund road maintainence. We would even set up an agency independent as the USPS. How long until a "special" project came up. How long until they would be compelled to spend a surplus in one year on nonsense, to raid any rainy day funds?

Starving government really may be the only answer. Too bad we keep caving on issuing more debt. As Henry Kravis says, debt can tighten and motivate an organization.

The President is a fink.

December 1st, 2012 at 10:58:39 AM permalink
Fleastiff Member since: Oct 27, 2012 Threads: 62 Posts: 7831	Throwing more money at a problem never helps anyway but its great to have some unassailable Apple Pie issue be funded by the lottery and then the legislature votes new taxes anyway. Thus the tax raise is generated by the lottery and the less pleasant taxes by legislation. Sturgis still tickets topless broads but the fine goes to buy a kid his schoolbooks. Taxation and Dentistry. Each Painless.

December 2nd, 2012 at 4:16:28 PM permalink
98Clubs Member since: Nov 11, 2012 Threads: 2 Posts: 75	I hear ya, CT got a State Income Tax about 6 months before opening Foxwoods. And EVERYBODY knew Foxwoods was a cash-cow. The unions marched, The Sons of Liberty fired their muskettes all on the front porch of the capitol. The CT Income Tax has not left the building, nor will it ever. There are four things certain in life... Death, Taxes, the Resistance to them, and Stupidity.