by In this election season we’ve heard a lot about taxes. Though I am gratified to hear that the discussion is now how much of a tax cut or who should get tax cuts instead of whether there should be one at all, it is still unnerving to hear our officials talk about our money as if letting us keep it is costing them.
John Kerry proposes a tax hike on those making over $200,000 so as to pay for his programs. Whether or not this will cover it is not relevant to my discussion, though I’m sure that it probably will not. Whether or not this is fair, because a middle class family in some high income cities will be taxed more is also not germane to my discussion.
My question is, when are we going to eliminate the tax on the poor? What tax you ask? The state lotteries, powerballs, etc. Generally, who pays for lottery tickets. I highly doubt Bill Gates is out there doing it. Though some people do it seldomly, most middle class people aren’t buying tickets (correct me if I’m wrong here).
Who most does the lottery appeal to? Those who are financially in trouble. We take these vulnerable people, fill their head with mush about how they can win millions like those they see on TV, and then expect them to use the money they should be supporting their family with to buy a ticket that they will most likely have no return on their investment.
When Enron and Global Crossing collapsed and people were cheated out of their investment dollars, that was a scandal and people went to jail. When a state takes people’s money under the guise that you might make millions and you never do– it’s praised. “Look the at the money we’re raising for education!”
Who’s paying for it? Not the wealthy or the middle class that have the sense to stay away from the lottery, that is for sure. We need to end the tax on poor.
MIn, I can see the point of your argument, but isn’t this ‘tax’ considered voluntary? I mean, not all poor people (though a fair amount does) spend their milk money on the lottery.
While it wouldn’t hurt me any if we do away with the lottery, I believe that the will not to do such things has to come from within the person. Simply because of the fact that should gaming be taken away, there could be a craps game (or any number of games) in somebody’s basement.
I think self discipline by the individual not to participate in such things is the issue. Yes, you can disguise gambling as ‘fund raising’ and package it appealingly, but no matter the package, a person who can say ‘no’, looks right through it and declines.
A valid point, Frenzy. Perhaps it’s not a tax but an exploitation of a character flaw or weakness.