Comments on: Lottery dilutes middle-class habits

By: Fran

Fran — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:42:55 +0000

The middle class are buying, just research where all the big winners live
since it started. most come from the north or south parts of georgia.Someone knows where to send the winning tickets.

By: woodie

woodie — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:19:14 +0000

This is exactly what the lottery is. It’s a tax on the poor. I never agreed with it when they put it up for vote and everything wrong with it has proven true since. People are wasting their hard-earned dollars playing the state approved fantasy games.

By: Tribute to Jim Wooten, AJC Columnist « Free Thoughts

Tribute to Jim Wooten, AJC Columnist « Free Thoughts — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:18:03 +0000

[...] April 29 modification to this post: Just as I was about to hit the “Publish” button on this article, I saw a Jim Wooten column on the lottery that I actually thought was pretty good, so I thought in fairness I should add the link. [...]

By: Ricky ATL

Ricky ATL — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:37:36 +0000

Good point md…individuals and corporations have a right to choose where “their” money is spent. However, if it was given to them or a handout (welfare, stimulus package) then they should lose that privilege. So you’re right, there is a fine line…but if a person continues to “earn” their own money, then they should have that right to spend it whenever or on whatever they choose.

By: md

md — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:08:23 +0000

“Individuals have a right to spend their money on whatever they want, it’s a free country, or is it?”

Depends, are they going to be held accountable for how they spend, or do they get a blank check from uncle sugar every time they run out of money?

Or do you mean it is OK to spend as one chooses with their own money, but not with other peoples’ money. Is there a line drawn in your argument?

By: Ricky ATL

Ricky ATL — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:43:45 +0000

I am so fed up with the AJC and their “spin” on stories about the Lottery. Have they ever written a positive story about the Lottery? I think someone at the Lottery really pissed off one of the “head honchos” down at the AJC.

I play the lottery and I enjoy it, why does the AJC care so much about what people spend their money on? Then they try and throw in a statement like this (wait while I get my violin and play a song for you while you read this, it makes it more dramatic)…….”A woman without a job for six months and, as the AJC’s Bill Torpy reported last month, with “a car note and mortgage nipping at her heels,” stops at an Atlanta convenience store to buy $10 Extreme Green scratch-offs, spending about $100 a week”.

Did Bill Torpy note if this lady had designer jeans on or a designer purse, and if she did why isn’t the AJC writing a story about how Guess (I don’t know what designer jeans the ladies are wearing these days…lol) or Coach are advertising to young ladies who are unemployed! Since you care so much about what she was spending her money, did you all ask her why she was spending her money on lottery tickets? I would bet my left arm that you all did, and she told you that it was her darn money and she can do whatever she wants with it! But somehow that part didn’t make the final edit. Some people may call her stupid, but she may call me stupid for continuing to dump money into a bottomless pit, which is my 401k. Individuals have a right to spend their money on whatever they want, it’s a free country, or is it?

P.S. Wooten…..Wolverine called and he wants “hair-do” back…lol

By: md

md — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:37:10 +0000

“It’s high time each adult individual in GA and beyond take personal responsibility for his or her actions, and that includes how they choose to spend their discretionary income.”

Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen. I’ve been around a long time, and if anything, it continues to get worse. Why? Accountability. There can not be personal responsibility without accountability.

Sure, spend however you want, because the party now in power believes in rewarding those poor choices. AIG, GM, Chrysler, Citi, BOA, …………. And how many of you are paying your mortgages while you watch your neighbor get help with theirs while they are off to the lake with their jetskiis???

No accountability. And there is a difference between helping others and taking care of others, just like there is a difference between can’t take care of oneself and won’t take care of oneself.

By: lovelyliz

lovelyliz — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:22:08 +0000

Keith

It’s not about keeping the government out of the lives of the individual, it’s about keeping the governmnet out of their lives. As far as the rest of uus go, we are fair game.

It’s not about lowering taxes and smart government spending. It’s about lowering their taxes and the governmnet funding them and theirs while everyone else is left out

By: PJ

PJ — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:04:38 +0000

I get so tired of the attitude that it’s government’s or anyone’s responsibility to protect people from themselves. No one is forced or even legally bound to buy a lottery ticket; therefore, it is not a tax. It’s a discretionary purchase. Learning to manage your discretionary income and developing a sense of personal responsibility are two very important elements of growing up.

I realize that there are people in GA that by lottery tickets that they can’t afford. It’s unfortunate that they make that choice. There are also people that buy booze they can’t afford and people that buy clothes and houses and cars they can’t afford. All kinds of people (not just poor) spend their discretionary money on things they can’t afford.

So what’s the answer? Do we shut down commerce in this country and have the government take all our money and issue each of us the provisions that Big Brother deems necessary and nothing more? I think not. It’s high time each adult individual in GA and beyond take personal responsibility for his or her actions, and that includes how they choose to spend their discretionary income.

By: fed up

fed up — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 13:50:49 +0000

The tax is not a tax on the poor; that would imply that all poor people are stupid.

No one cares about the inane bickering between the donkeys and elephants. They are both equally crooked and are run by a bunch of extremists who think it’s more important to argue about idiotic issues like abortion. We have real daily problems like why the government keeps spending more than they take in revenue or why people with any real income are too afraid to do their income taxes when government appointees can’t even do it right.

Unfortunately that isn’t going to change since people who actually are financially responsible are too busy taking care of their own families to spend time arguing with the extremists on both sides living off the government dole and spending money that isn’t theirs.