People Earning Less Than $13,000 spend 9% Of Income On?

It's not my job to monitor what private individuals spend their money on - but this is a government sanctioned system. I think it's in my interest as someone who's being asked to pay taxes to (in part) alleviate the impact of poverty

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to at least ensure that government doesn't make things worse.

My beef --- the lottery is government sanctioned exploitation.

If the purpose of government is to reverse the effect of poverty - why on earth would it sustain and endorse
this system of reverse welfare?

If it was all just private enterprise, I suppose it would bug me less. This is government --- you know - the thing that's supposed to be helping the poor!

The primary benefactors of the lottery are low income individuals --- and the primary beneficiaries of the lottery are middle and upper income.

bailey bud wrote:
If the purpose of government is to reverse the effect of poverty - why on earth would it sustain and endorse
this system of reverse welfare?

Because people voted for it...

bailey bud wrote: It's not my job to monitor what private individuals spend their money on - but this is a government sanctioned system. I think it's in my interest as someone who's being asked to pay taxes to (in part) alleviate the impact of poverty

---

to at least ensure that government doesn't make things worse.

My beef --- the lottery is government sanctioned exploitation.

If the purpose of government is to reverse the effect of poverty - why on earth would it sustain and endorse
this system of reverse welfare?

If it was all just private enterprise, I suppose it would bug me less. This is government --- you know - the thing that's supposed to be helping the poor!

The primary benefactors of the lottery are low income individuals --- and the primary beneficiaries of the lottery are middle and upper income.

It's STATE government... Not "da Gub'mnt" (There is NO federal lottery).... If you don't like it, don't buy a ticket... Other than that, you get to vote on the state legislators that passed the laws...Or you can shut up... But your incessant bitching about what "da Gub'mnt" is doing, when it's NOT the "Gub'mnt", is getting tiresome.

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Given who plays (the lottery), this is one of the most regressive taxes in the nation.

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Robert Reich (a LIBERAL economist --- you know --- an OBAMA supporter --- one of yours, LJ)

This isn't a conservative vs liberal issue!! Reasonable economic thinking shows that lotteries are downright regressive.

http://robertreich.org/post/20364660524

I didn't say it wasn't a stupid decision for people who make less than $13,000/year to make. As I've pointed out at least 5 times, it's also a stupid decision for people who make less than $13,000/year to smoke; drink; and do a lot of other things...

My point is STILL --- (and I still have yet to get an answer)-- since when is it any of YOUR business what other people spend their hard-earned dollars on? I know some pretty stupid, poor morons who spend their money on ammo, freeze-dried food, and survival gear (and raccoon-tails & Confederate bumper-stickers) instead of what *I* think they should be spending it on... And the only one who has tried to make this a "conservative vs. liberal issue" seems to be you guys...

[youtube:2o98v7x1][/youtube:2o98v7x1]

We don't have a problem with how people spend their money but we do have issues with the government profiting off people's addictions plus they way they make it so easy to buy and how much the States make off it.

Big Doug wrote:

bailey bud wrote:
If the purpose of government is to reverse the effect of poverty - why on earth would it sustain and endorse
this system of reverse welfare?

Because people voted for it...

Would anyone here sign a referendum to force former pilots into slavery under conservatives? We could then vote on it....

Then we could have a yearly vote to see who we should let even live the next year.

My understanding is that in our system, most of people's money is spent on what the populous wants it to be spend on. We tax over 50% of income in some way shape or form, once taxed, we all get to decide, not the person.

Pretty simple. You use a gun to take something and then it is yours.

Of what is left, people can then only spend that on things that are approved by the population, also in limited quantities and for limited use, if made in another country, you may not even be able to sell it without permission. This is a new system, slowly developed over the last 100 years. Despite this, as is clear from people's perspectives, we are just beginning to figure out how to spend other peoples' money or take control of it.