Anybody buy scratch off Lotto tickets ?

[doitmyself]

I think it is questionable whether state gambling income should be considered EXTRA money or just DIFFERENT money. MIchigan dumps their proceeds into K-12 education. This money that would have come from other tax revenue is then either cut out of the budget or is wasted elsewhere. I have not seen any improvement in our education system health since the lottery was started. A bunch of hogwash if you ask me.

No different than when taxes are slashed, but then user fees are created or increased (i.e.- State Parks). We pay one way or another. People can't figure this out.

 

[Vikas]

I lover smokers too; they pay lot of taxes and then croak early saving on the medical expenses.

(Written above in the spirit of Pop's comment about people buying lottery tickets)

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
I lover smokers too; they pay lot of taxes and then croak early saving on the medical expenses.

(Written above in the spirit of Pop's comment about people buying lottery tickets)


Smokers also fund our Social Security and Medicare. Smokers may not need it, But I will when I am retired.

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
I lover smokers too; they pay lot of taxes and then croak early saving on the medical expenses.

(Written above in the spirit of Pop's comment about people buying lottery tickets)


What pray tell is "early"? At what age does that happen?

 

[Mr Nice]

What brand wine does he sell from his business?

Anyone try it ?

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: Vikas
I lover smokers too; they pay lot of taxes and then croak early saving on the medical expenses.

(Written above in the spirit of Pop's comment about people buying lottery tickets)


What pray tell is "early"? At what age does that happen?


Compared to a nonsmoker, smokers die on average ten years younger. Many of them deal with debilitating and costly diseases for a very long time before checking out.

hotwheels

Scroll down to "Cigarette use causes premature death" here:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: hotwheels


Compared to a nonsmoker, smokers die on average ten years younger. Many of them deal with debilitating and costly diseases for a very long time before checking out.

hotwheels

Scroll down to "Cigarette use causes premature death" here:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/


So the stats claim, my father who was a life long smoker was healthy till mother passed, he was 78 at that time, health went down the tubes at that time and he died at 81, a man with a broken heart.

Smoking killed him????????????
Losing his wife killed him??????????????

You pick.

 

[jcwit]

As far as lotto tickets, never buy them.

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: hotwheels


Compared to a nonsmoker, smokers die on average ten years younger. Many of them deal with debilitating and costly diseases for a very long time before checking out.

hotwheels

Scroll down to "Cigarette use causes premature death" here:
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/tobacco_related_mortality/


So the stats claim, my father who was a life long smoker was healthy till mother passed, he was 78 at that time, health went down the tubes at that time and he died at 81, a man with a broken heart.

Smoking killed him????????????
Losing his wife killed him??????????????

You pick.


Statistics do not predict or claim any one particular outcome for an individual.

hotwheels

 

[jcwit]

Exactly, its what I was pointing out!

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Exactly, its what I was pointing out!


You were asking a rhetorical question with the intent to rebuke any reply not dismissing the undeniable value of statistics.

hotwheels

 

[jcwit]

Originally Posted By: hotwheels
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Exactly, its what I was pointing out!


You were asking a rhetorical question with the intent to rebuke any reply not dismissing the undeniable value of statistics.

hotwheels


But the implication that smokers pay for SS is in fact not true for all smokers.

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: jcwit
Originally Posted By: hotwheels
Originally Posted By: jcwit
Exactly, its what I was pointing out!


You were asking a rhetorical question with the intent to rebuke any reply not dismissing the undeniable value of statistics.

hotwheels


But the implication that smokers pay for SS is in fact not true for all smokers.


Reading Vikas' post, to which you probably refer, within the given context, I presume he means to say that smokers pay lots of sales and tobacco taxes over time. Whether or not Vikas is also talking about SS taxes, I do not know and I do not care to speculate. Only he can clarify.

hotwheels

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: greenjp
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
...Remember-you can't help keep my taxes low if you don't play, so get out there and buy those lottery tickets.

Says the guy who I believe owns and/or operates a vineyard, selling a product that is 1) taxed by the state and 2) paid for entirely with discretionary income. How's the view from your horse?


There's a difference between producing a product that people purchase and consume, and a state sponsored product with odds of winning so low that you're more likely to get killed by lightning than win anything. I thought it was safe to assume that most intelligent people understood the difference between private industry and government sponsored lotteries.

 

[Vikas]

So Pop would prefer the Mafia to run the numbers game in his state? Making lottery private would make everything good according to him?

 

[greenjp]

Ah, so that's the arbitrary line you draw when it comes to judging other people's use of their discretionary income - whether it's provided by the government or the private industry. Whatever helps you sleep at night chief. The bottom line is that in this case both are purveyors of unnecessary things that various people enjoy consuming/using and both result in significant revenues being brought in to the government. I would have thought an intelligent person would be able to figure out what the salient points of this discussion were.

Do you consider privately operated casino and sports gambling different from the lottery and at the same level of acceptability of your wine business?

jeff

 

[dlundblad]

I dated a girl who received a few scratch offs from her grandparents when she turned 18 just as a joke. It was one of those scratch 2 out of 4 deals. Ironically, if she scratched it right, she could have won $1200. That was my first and only exposure to them. I've always been told they are a tax on stupidity.

 

[zzyzzx]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Remember-you can't help keep my taxes low if you don't play, so get out there and buy those lottery tickets.


Your taxes aren't low, just slightly less high due to lottery.

 

[Mr Nice]

What is the name of Pop's wine ?

Does anybody know which stores sell it ?

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: greenjp
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
...Remember-you can't help keep my taxes low if you don't play, so get out there and buy those lottery tickets.

Says the guy who I believe owns and/or operates a vineyard, selling a product that is 1) taxed by the state and 2) paid for entirely with discretionary income. How's the view from your horse?


There's a difference between producing a product that people purchase and consume, and a state sponsored product with odds of winning so low that you're more likely to get killed by lightning than win anything. I thought it was safe to assume that most intelligent people understood the difference between private industry and government sponsored lotteries.


I think the payout ratio's are better in a casino, some are between 85-95%. Lotteries are a bit worse, more like 50%. But as Heinlein once said, "Of course the game is rigged, but if you don't play, you can't win." I think where it does even better is that if you win a few dollars, people end up buying more tickets which just ends up giving more money to the state.