It looks like a state lottery will be up for a public vote sometime this year. Basic premise is the same as for other states from what I know - net proceeds to go to support education, but will be based on the Georgia HOPE model. There the net proceeds are used for a fund which will provide a scholarship to any state high school student who maintains at least a B average in both high school and college.

I'd like your candid opinion on how the lottery in your state has or has not improved your state's education system. Particular for those in Georgia, what has been the impact there.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 14, 2001

Answers

I feel that the lottery has not been good for the education system here in Florida. It was not used as it was intended here. The state legislature cut the funding that they provided for the education system after the lottery was put in effect. The net result was less money for the public schools. I really feel that it was misrepresented to the public. The Georgia model is much better than Florida

-- Jackie M. (miller672@cs.com), February 14, 2001.

Yes, it would be interesting to see the opinions those who live in states that have enacted a lottery. As a TN resident, I find it highly amusing that those legislators screaming the loudest for a lottery are the same ones who were screaming for a state income tax, the last couple of years. They pounded away on the issue that the sales tax is too regressive and an income tax would benefit those with lower incomes. Well...I cannot think of a tax (and that's all it really is) that is more regressive than state lottery. Drive into Virginia, Kentucky or Georgia, stop at any conveniance market and see who's buying lottery tickets. I doubt you'll find many corporate executives in line. More likely those who's money probably needs to be spent on more important items like food or clothes for their kids. Years ago, when California was considering a lottery, the CA Governor, none other than Ronald Reagan, said "State government should be financed by the strength of it's people, not by their weaknesses". This issue can't be better summed up than that.

-- Steve in TN (lynswim@mindspring.com), February 14, 2001.

Although you will find very few of the people who supported it saying this, the lottery in Michigan has been a big fat zero for the educational system. I know my property taxes went up instead of down and our schools are in a worse mess than they ever have been. Somehow most of the proceeds have gone into the perpetuating the lottery system instead of to our schools. We opened the door to legalized gambling in our state with the lottery, and now we have casinos going up all over the place. I can't see where it has benefited anyone here.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

When I lived in Tx my property taxes did nothing but go up....actually they still are since I still own some land I'm paying taxes on in Tx. I didn't see any evidence of lottery money being spent on schools...scholarships...nadda. Since I homeschool it wouldn't have done me a bit of good anyhow. My kids don't cost anyone else a dime and I still have to pay property taxes(now I know why the elderly make such a stink about it!)

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), February 14, 2001.

Yeah - we have that too. However, if they REALLY wanted to educate the kids, they would explain what a stupid thing it is to play the lottery! You are statistically better of with your local bookie and the numbers game. Of course, THAT is illegal because of the poor record of those people as concerns morals. Much better to have the poorer odds and the impeccable morals of government folks (read Bill & Hillary). We DO NOT buy lottery tickets, prefering to have the poor pay our taxes, since they are targeted by the state. We do buy 2 "scratch-off" bingo tickets every week as part of our weekend routine. Costs us 4 bucks a week. On the average, we have (over 10 years) gotten back about 3 bucks per week. We figure we're willing to pay 1 dollar per week for the silly fun of doing it. But then, we can afford 50 dollars a year. If we couldn't, we wouldn't do it! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), February 14, 2001.

I live in NM where there has been some form of legal gambing here for years (casinos, horseracing). We have only had a state lottery for a few years, and part of the proceeds go to pay for college tuition (state college) if a certain GPA is maintained. I have 3 college aged kids, and it has been a bonus to us to have a certain percentage of their tuition paid by the state lottery fund. We also have a state income tax. The downside is that last year, the college tuition fund was running low on funds, and lottery officials were considering lowering the percentage of tuition funds paid to students. The people I know who buy lottery tickets already were buying lottery tickets in othere states (Texas or Arizona) or engaged in gambling at the casinos or racetracks. From my viewpoint, having a state lottery didn't change how anyone, poor or rich, spent their money, at least not the people I know. Gina

-- Gina NM (inhock@pvtnetworks.net), February 14, 2001.

I can't believe that "poor" people would save up and get out of being "poor" if they didn't have a lottery to waste their money on. My old man found plenty to waste money on when we didn't even have a window, and there was no lottery. But there was the Irish Sweepstakes, and sports pools and any get rich scheme that came down the pike. It's about trying to not be poor, imediately! Not working on it.

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

If it can be done, I would like to divert the discussion back to the original question: Has or has not a lottery in your state improved the state's educational system? If yes or no, why?

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 14, 2001.

Hard to say that there is any "improvement", I tend to think none. Like some of the other stories, here in New Mexico they give the appearence of doing something for education with the money, but they mismanage it so badly that it dosn't go very far. They waste hundreds of thousands of dollars advertising for people to play the lottery -it s as bad as the utilities companies advertising for us to use gas or electric! The give away tons of swag like "T" shirts, mugs, jar top grippers, mini ice scrapers to scratch off the tickits,bumperstickers on and on it goes - a steady stream of money flying away on wings. And the bureaucracy is very top heavy, immense salries and perks - and the operating overhead is froaught with waste - it's a wonder that they get the money they do get for actually using on "education" - it's the people who are getting taken to school on just how much you can bleed the system for.

-- Willy Allen (willyallen2@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

I live in Tx and I don't think it's helped much, when they we're pushing it, thats all we heard from our then governer Ms. Ann Richards, was how a big chunk of it would go to our schools, seems like there was an article last year showing just how much went to the schools and it was very little, our school taxes are $1.25 per 100 now, just keeps going up, up now we need a new highschool so I guess they'll go up even more. We don't participate in the lottery at all.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), February 14, 2001.

In Texas, there hasn't been any improvements that I have seen and there have been investigations into the Lottery Commission for misappropriating funds. Taxes went up %20 in the last two years. Kids still aren't learning any better and the football fields are getting more elaborate.

-- Doreen (animalwaitress@excite.com), February 15, 2001.

Absolutely not..at least none has trickled to this end of the state.. I see no improvement in the school system at all..I know it's (cash) going somehere but not where it was intended by the voters. We no longer have school age children and will continue to pay school tax on our personal property and on real estate property. It's double taxation but has never been rescended and either the people or the lawmakers do not question this.. what will happen with the tobacco settlement money? It too will end up in some pockets but you can be sure none of it will benefit the schools or the working people.

-- Lynn(MO) (mscratch1@semo.net), February 15, 2001.

Indiana test scores dropped. They changed the rules and the scoring. They dropped again. Instituted a High School graduation mandatory test, a whopping 46% failure rate last year on a test designed to measure a 9th grade education level.

The amount of money originally slated for education never showed. Property taxation methods are soon to be reworked and instituted in response to a lawsuit here. Reassessments w/ as much as 150% increases are expected for some of us. Where is all the lotto dough?

Lottery is one more way for people who can't afford it to be stupid. And one more way for the politicos to fleece the sheep.

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001.

John perhaps Indiana can do like Texas has, instead of teaching anything of substance, just

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001.

John perhaps Indiana can do like Texas has, instead of teaching anything of substance, just TEACH THE TEST!!! This is what we spend all our time on, once your child has been able to master the most minimal of information to pass the test, then and only then will they be able to graduate, or learn anything else! I have not seen where the Lottery has done anything. Besides like Doreen says with bigger and more elaborate football stadiums. With the alumni footing most of the bills, I simply don't even see where all the money we get from the government is going. It certainly isn't going towards salaries for teachers or cirruiculum. If you aren't homeschooling along with public schooling, your children will have a rude awakening coming into college. When the validictorian and saluatorian of our school district both were on academic probation last year for flunking classes their first semester, you can see very quickly the schools are not doing their jobs. Vicki

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), February 15, 2001.

John S, Lottery funds in Indiana don't go to education, they go to the state highway fund and to cut the excise tax we pay on license plates for our vehicles. When the lottery was first voted in, the lawmakers didn't want to "taint our schoolchildren" with "ill-gotten gains" from the lottery. (My DH used to work for the company who runs the lottery computer systems)

I agree that education in our state is horrible, but the lottery isn't to blame.

-- Sherri C (Central IN) (CeltiaSkye@aol.com), February 15, 2001.

Sherri, thanks for the news. I remembered the debate about the Lotto when it was first going on and was under the impression that's where the money was supposed to go.

Tainted money! That's pretty funny when you think of it. I don't have anything against school teachers (2 in my immediate family) but throwing good money after bad is all your doing w/ a public school system anyway.

-- John in S. IN (jsmengel@hotmail.com), February 16, 2001.

If you want to know about State Lotteries for education this is the place to look(New Hampshire). New Hampshire was the first state in the US to start a Lottery(1969) to fund education. We've been doing it for 32 years. First thing to know is, don't believe the number they quote. It really does not produce that much money. The problem is that too many states have lotteries and many are part of multi state lotteries. In NH, I believe it only produces a few million dollars per year. Remember, only the NET profits go to education. That small of an amount does not make a difference state-wide.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), February 16, 2001.

Nope! Sure didn't help anyone but the Lottery Commission and the convenience stores that sell the tickets. Here in the Panhandle of FL the children are leaving public school in droves and going to private/Christian school or home schooled. When the Lottery was first started, the state legislature CUT the state's funding of public schools. So whatever money came to the schools via Lottery was not ADDED but only a substitute. Total dollars has declined over the years.

-- Eve in FL (owenall@lwol.com), February 17, 2001.