A dollar and a dream

Nope. I don't gamble at all. I work too hard for my money to waste it on such things. I figure the taxes I pay to the city goes to education. As such, I am doing my part to help the education system.

Played it once in the last five years on a day I was feeling especially lucky.

Statistics show pretty consistently that the people who spend money on the lottery are overwhelmingly the people who can least afford it, ie, the very poor. Guess there's no better drug than hope.

Drug it may be - but for $1 a day, maybe it's worth it - hope, excitement, the thrill, the joy that comes of waiting and expecting...I wouldn't judge it as a necessarily negative thing just because the chances are minimal..

I don't judge it as necessarily negative either. It's a really good thing to have that kind of expectation & thrill, and it's a relatively reasonably-priced thrill at that. I do find it ironic that the poor are overwhelmingly supporting education, which is what the lottery money is used for. Wish there were a way to get the rich to support some education, too. Then we'd have some fantastic education!

I've never actually played the lottery in NY but am not opposed to the idea. The state's education programs could probably use the funding....

Indeed! I never realized lotteries supported the education programs - you learn something new every day! And NYC of all places really needs all the help it can get in that department. And agreed, Uraniumfish. But unfortunately the way the rich support education is by donating millions to the Chapins and Brearleys of the world! (went back to my old alma mater and found that its state of the art renovations included eco-friendly lights with motion sensors. Great, but couldn't that money have been better spent getting some kids TEXTBOOKS!)

There should be a way to shackle the rich private schools to some under-funded inner-city schools. Like, private school X has to pay huge taxes, unless they do some donating and upkeep of their sister inner-city school, send their teachers there for some extra classes and special activities, that kind of thing. If they do so, then they would be eligible for some fat tax break. A way to spread the wealth at least a little, and then both groups of kids might get an inkling that there's a world out there beyond the one they know and grew up in.

The problem with the richest people is that they are more concerned about making sure their own kids are educated. They will spend money to help build schools and renovate, but not put the money where it is really needed, and that is for textbooks, as ajadedidealist said, and to hire more teachers.

Looks like the hard times are hitting even the stores that sell lottery tickets, recently a store clerk in NYC tried to rob a retiree grandfather of his winnings of $8 million. http://gothamist.com/2010/09/18/deli_clerk_tires_to_scam_retiree_ou.php#comments

Agreed - @hhusted. Just look at the multi-million dollar donation wall at any tony uptown private school, and you'll see dollars that could have been better spent in a public school!

@uptowngirl That's strange, I guess the poor are getting too poor to even buy lottery tickets.

@BroadwayBK establishments in NYC usually get a cash prize for selling a winning lottery ticket and its usually around $10,000 but I think this greedy store clerk wanted all the moolah for himself and didn't mind callously cheating a poor man out of his winnings. Guess once again its the tight economy to blame as apparently its happening a lot

What a jerk (re: the store clerk). Sure, who wouldn't be tempted, but I hope that most of us would have the fortitude to be happy for the guy and move on...

When your store is facing bad times, you might be tempted to do whatever it takes to get by, but I wouldn't do that. It represents bad karma.

It's also illegal! I wouldn't do that because, bad karma or not, I wouldn't be fool enough to risk jail time!

Indeed. Not much you can do with $13 million behind bars...I should hope! Maybe buy a LOT of cigarettes.

Or buy your mama a house so she'll stop crying over her baby doing time...

@Uraniumfish LOL you're helping me cheer up with your comments..having one of those 'bad' days.

@Uptowngirl Glad I could help, just doin' my best here...

@Uraniumfish: You said it. Not worth jail time.

::snort:: @uraniumfish. Funny question - would you spend time in jail for any amount of money (that could go to your family, etc?)

@ajadeidealist NOPE

I don't play the lottery but my friend does sometimes. She says that she and her boyfriend go and buy tickets and then go to a coffee shop and make lists of all the things they would buy with the money and they have to spend all of it. She said it's always a hoot.

Aha Jen Mac the daydreams are the best.. I dream about buying houses in all my favorite cities around the world and then traveling to visit each one.. of course an element of charity also features all in the hope that it will one day snag me that coveted lump sump...ha ha if only as my mum used to say if wishes were horses beggars would ride..

This is so unbelievably cute: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20101104/od_yblog_upshot/nicest-canadian-couple-in-world-doles-out-lottery-winnings

@JenMac: I don't play the lottery. I did one time many years ago. Back in the '70s, I think. I haven't done it since.

@Uraniumfish what a selfless couple ..how fab!