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Topic: Lottery tickets are the biggest waste of money


Topic Posted by: Zach
Date Posted: Fri Jul 18 1:29:21 2008
Additional Comments:

Usually when I am  standing in line at a convenience store and we have a line-up of morons waiting to buy their cigarettes and lottery tickets.  And boy, do they take their sweet time bothering the clerk with their selection of cigs, and then deciding which lottery ticket to purchase, so carefully, as if they are at the jeweller.

I can never assume which people are the ones who are buying it on the rare occasion, and which are the habitual ticket scratchers, but in my head, just once I picture myself saying... well I won't even say it here.  But when you lose all the time, with those tickets, literally, well...

 

I understand how well TPTB have manipulated the lower classes into doing this, and all the whys and hows, so you can't judge.  But I think it's so sad that if only these people could have put $1,000 in the bank literally, with their idiotic daily habit, instead of blwoing it all way, they might have a fighting chance of actually escaping poverty.  How well they would do from there, however, remains in question.

My dad buys them almost every day.  I just shake my head.  It is a kind of daily treat, but when you consider that the main object really is gambling for cash, and knowing the odds of ever coming out ahead, it should make one just stop... stop the daily treats that get filtered to the government!

I rarely every buy one because I know if I ever want sumthing, I will have to work for it.  The rare ticket (like 2 or 3 per year, and even that is too much) just keeps you in the game without lining the pockets of the lottery corporations.

 

I could go on and on about this, because I know how hard we all work for our money, and to think that traps are set for us to gamble even more of our power away, really is a bone of contention with me but it's their money.  I am guessing few of you indulge in this habit often.  I would guess Deb S. ingyandbert and GailJ for example all seem too sensible to be purchasing lottery tickets all the time.

One woman got busted. She was a burger king manager in Fla. and she "borrowed" money from the safe, to buy over $1,000 from the safe (I think it was about $1,350).  She scratched all night.  By dawn she was in despair.  She realized she had a problem.. and I sympathize with her because if the government, which is funded by our money and power, used that money to help us, many people wouldn't be in this situation.  The government is referred to as a seperate entity, so many of us forget it exists for us and by us, not over us and if it wants to acknowledge us.





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Posted by: CathyC
Date posted: Sun Jul 20 13:08:45 2008
Message:
My opinion is that lottery tickets are entertainment and therefore worth whatever entertainment value they hold for the purchaser. I don't think I could fault anyone for purchasing lottery tickets just because the odds of winning are against you. It's not throwing money away if the purchaser enjoys buying them.

I personally don't buy lottery tickets but I don't see anything wrong with doing so - I have many friends and family members who buy them regularly and get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

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Posted by: Zach
Date posted: Sat Jul 19 21:08:06 2008
Message:

i was in the store today and decided to buy a ticket , due to all the interest generated surrounding this topic.  And for that I had to go into the longer line, btw

I bought a more expensive ticket, and needless to say I lost.  Even if I won $25, big deal?  A lady in line the other day won $25 and was so excited that she did a high five with her friend.  But it's not going to change her life, or compensate her for the carpal tunnel syndrome she is accruing from all that scratching.  It would have to be sumthing in the thousands to get excited about.. anything less than that is small potatoes, in that circumstance.  Of course, if I found $25 on the street, that's another story since it came to me without that foolish habit.  Incidentally, I have found more money than I ever won in the lottery.  Once I found a 20 in the snow.. another time 40 bucks at the ATM, once more than 60 dollars in a bag on the street but their was ID then so I eagerly had it given back to the grateful owner,  plus alot of one and two dollar coins.

** I also get exicted about picking up pennies on the street nearly every day.  I am guessing the same fools who throw their money away on lotto tickets, throw even more tiny percentages of their power away by ditching their pennies.. and I am only too happy to take the money they don't want!

Replies: (list all replies)

  • You see Zach, here is where the ''fool'' part comes in. You succumbed to the common greed factor by buying a more expensive ticket. The lottery agency knows they don't have to put a lot of winning tickets in those because people like you will fixate on that big number. I on the other hand, always buy the $1 ticket with lowest high prize, tops $500. I have found there are more little winners in this type.. I get $1 to $50, not the big scores but much more often. My philosphy is I'd rather have a little back right now than wait a lifetime for $500,000 which will most likely never happen.
  • The reason i bought the $4 instead of a one or two dollar ticket was because there are more game areas on it, and I wanted to see how many times I could lose.. 6 times on one ticket. I never bought the more expensive one before.. greed has nothing to do with buying it, as I only did it because the interest the topic stirred. I also never bought a ticket this expensive before, though it is my opinion that there is MORE chance to win on the more expensive ticket. eom/Zach

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    Posted by: Zach
    Date posted: Sat Jul 19 2:25:42 2008
    Message:

    alot of great discussion here I didn't expect.

    Please understand I am not judging anyone in particular regardless of the level of their habit.  I am pointing out the greater implications.. the ways TPTB push our buttons.

    Lottery tickets were not sold a few decades ago.. I am not sure of the specifics.. but once they were gleaned to be a good source of revenue, it became to be introduced.  And now, lotteries always advertise here on the tv.. when i catch a commercial, bc as I said i dont watch tv unless its on the background while surfing the net.  I just see a real push for people to spend spend spend and they are are are.  My problem is, once again, with the system.  I am not going to call gambling immoral, because there is enough stigma attached to it.  I just think it's a shame, and it's not the best habit to have much like we all have our vices, in an ideal world lotteries need not exist.

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  • Personally I don't gamble or buy lottery tickets but I don't care who does-I can't put any of the blame on TPTB - people make their own decisions. If they see an ad on TV, they can decide to buy them (or not). It's foolish to spend all or most of your money on lottery tickets, but I'm not going to blame the ads or govenment for it. I see more car ads and Viagra ads per day than lottery tickets so using your reasoning, I should be buying new cars and Viagra all the time. Ads are not so powerful that you are forced to go out and buy whatever they are selling. In an ideal world, a lot of things wouldn't exist, inlcuding the need for money or Viagra. LOL The world will never be an ideal place. Tess
  • There's another thread here about 'what's the hardest thing about being a human being?' and somebody answered something to the effect of 'taking responsibiity for yourself, etc.' .... this fits right in here. We have to realize that we create our own realities through our actions. Sure, maybe people would be less tempted to buy different things if they were less exposed to the constant ads on TV, in magazines, etc. But ultimately each person has to take responsibility for what they do/have done. eom/faysie
  • you can only have those points of views based on your current understanding, which for all of us is not that great. IF WE REALLY KNEW THE BIG PICTURE.. who knows what our opinions would be. That may make me a conspiracy theorist but alot of them turn out to be true. Even without specifics, it is becoming to be generally understood more and more just how much the government conceals and manipulates. That is what I am talking about here. Remember, I am talking about people who don't have a whole lot of willpower, intelligence, etc. People who are in a lower economic bracket are much easier to control. I am not saying there is some grand plan, but I also think people are very ignorant how easily the masses can be brainwashed. I believe we are being brainwashed in many ways, you may not. That is the issue. You can form and adjust your opinion as will I. eom/Zach
  • Oh please! Now the gov't has implanted chips in our brains so that we say. ''Must buy lottery tickets! Must buy lottery tickets!'' but I guess they missed mine cos I never buy them. Or maybe they have secretly brainwashed a lot of us. ;-) I'm thankful that so many people do buy them-it's a way to get taxes - - -taxes that I don't have to pay. Tess

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    Posted by: Gotta go anon for this one
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 22:29:11 2008
    Message:

    Personally I can't agree with you because a few years ago my friend and I won 250K. We only spend $9 a week between the two of us, so the payoff was decent. I am not much for gambling but go to the casino about twice a year and I usually come out ahead.

    But I realize I am an exception to the rule. However, these people are buying a chance at a dream. For that short period of time they can dream large, so it doesn't hurt really. That is unless you have a problem with gambling. But the same goes for any other addiction. Anything in moderation is fine.


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    Posted by: Paige
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 21:51:41 2008
    Message:
    The only time it bothers me is when I see the losing tickets on the side of the road/sidewalk. I don't like littering in any form. I don't generally play myself, but if that's how other people want to spend their money, then who am I to tell them differently. They might see someone dropping hundreds of dollars on phones/video games/electronics as a waste of money. Others might see spending it on alcohol/cigarettes as a waste. It's your money, you worked for it, so you can spend it in your own way. The one thing I can say for the lottery here in GA, a LOT of the money spent has gone to education. So I guess that's kinda how I look at it... if you're gonna give the government money, wouldn't you rather take a chance with the lottery and have fun than just pay them directly with higher taxes? :)

    Replies: (list all replies)

  • People leaving garbage on the street, or side of the road, in parks, etc. is a major irritation for me too. People throw stuff on the ground, ignoring a garbage receptacle only 5' away. I also agree that at least the money spent on lotteries generally goes to good charitable causes. eom/faysie

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    Posted by: farmer brown
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 19:00:11 2008
    Message:

    I don't play the lottery. I think it's a waste of money that could be used for better things.

    However, as a one-time experiment about 10 years ago in Texas, I spent $200 in one game. It was a simple game: Pick four numbers between 0 and 99. Get all four right and win $1 million. I was hoping providence would smile on me by not being too greedy and playing in a relatively low-stakes game, as far as lotteries go.

    I picked every single number at least twice. That way I knew at least a few tickets would have the winning numbers, no matter which four were drawn. I won $80 (by getting two numbers right). A couple of tickets were one number away from hitting three correct numbers, which would have given me $100.

    So that little experiment set me back $120 hard-earned dollars. That was enough lottery wastefulness in one lifetime. I'm sure the state of Texas spent my voluntary extra-tax money well.

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  • Now...I'm not sure if you smoke or not, but I was just wondering how much of the price of a pack of cigarettes is taxes??? I don't smoke , so what I spend on lotto ticket can't be as much as someone who smokes or drinks and pays the hidden taxes on that. I guess it is up to the individual on how he/she want to pay the govt. the taxes...Redman
  • Farmer Brown I AM SHOCKED! Up till now I thought you may be the perfect man. Say it aint so.
  • Redman: I don't smoke, but I may take it up. As far as the lottery goes, if other people want to play, who I am to stop them? But that loss was more than enough for me. I'd love to have that money back! farmer
  • Serialmom: I am riddled with more imperfections, flaws and character defects than anyone else I know. farmer
  • Just think of how many beautiful country quilts you could buy at the antique market for $120. Kind of puts things in perspective..
  • Well, if thats the only foolhardy money you have wasted you are still Ivory Soap to me ( 99 44/100 percent ) //s'mom

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    Posted by: redman91
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 17:33:10 2008
    Message:
    What region of Canada is this...Where are these "dumping grounds" that you talk about...I buy tickets and our household income is well over $150,000.00. We are not banking on my winning or losing for our future...Redman91(Canadian)

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  • I was wondering the same thing re the 'dumping ground'.... I'm a fellow Canuck & an infrequent buyer of lottery tickets. eom/faysie
  • Hamilton, Ontario is among one of the most economically depressed regions in Canada. ESPECIALLY for a city its size. I can tell you that the poverty rate in Canada is about 14% and Hamilton has well above the national average at over 18%. I read that in the newspaper a few months ago, and you only have to walk through downtown Hamilton to see it for yourself. No mixture of upper and lower classes; most people concur the poorest people live here and the intense concentration of poverty has to be seen to be believed. So the lower cost of living has allowed many people to come here, and is a starting point for many immigrants as well. It's a bit sad that I have noticed such lines for lottery tickets lately.. to me it seems like drinking and smoking.. just another empty direction people put their money into looking to find fun, good times and hope, when in reality none exists there. I know this is different from posters here, or from many individual people but as a trend in society I can assure you it all exists. I guess that is the difference between you and me. Most of you would see that line and not think much of it while my mind connects the dots and notices that.Once again I am not judging any one particular person but I think lotteries are a scourge of society for some of the disadvantaged. eom/Zach

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    Posted by: serialmom
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 17:00:58 2008
    Message:

    After reading your responses Zach I must say you have an unusual way with words.  By the way mind telling how old you are?

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  • I am always unusual, and outspoken, and my ideas seem to be ahead of their time. I am also a linguist and hold an English degree. I turned 32 in April
  • As a linguist and holding an English degree, don't you think you can do something with a positive outcome? Maybe get involved in politics since you have such a passion for your city's situation. Do you have a city council you could run for? With your seemingly deep concern for what is going on you should really consider it. If I remember right, and correct me if I am wrong, you want to become a personal trainer? Seems like a waste of a good education when you obviously could be contributing in some way. I think you should consider it. rushlan
  • I have a passion for my hometown, which no longer exists politically. I have an extreme distaste for the city we have got lumped with. As for politics, I would never do that. I am a person who likes to have as little flux in my life as possible. I want to spend my life healthy and hopefully happy, and be out in the SUNSHINE.. not indoors all day taking care of policies. Being smart or knowledgable about things helps a person anywhere, and no least of which is being a personal trainer. My unique point of view will help me get to better places and encourage others. Not everyone will agree with my views or take to me as a person, and thats fine too. I may not be a personal trainer forever, but it's something I really want to do for a few years and achieve a better potential for my mind body and spirit. eom/Zach
  • Haha why do ppl think personal trainers have to be stupid.. the best ones can be smart and know stuff too lol , its called being well-rounded. eom/Zach
  • Ahead of their time? Just because some of your ideas are off base or incorrect, does NOT make your ideas ''ahead of their time.'' It just means that some of your ideas are off base or incorrect. Please do not assume that only the ''lower classes'' buy too many lottery tickets or assume that ticket buyers are morons or idiots. We all have free will-the gov't doesn't force anyone to buy a ticket - just like someone who gambles too much at a casino, they have a problem-can't blame the casino. They don't force people to come in there to gamble.
  • Where is it said the anyone here thinks personal trainers are stupid? I didn't say that at all and I wonder how you interpreted that? I simply think with your educational background and your obvious love of spinning words, you would do well in politics. rushlan
  • i don't spin words, i debate. as for the casinos, there are many people who DO blame the casinos. they build grand casinos and their goal is to push as many ppl to come there as possible.. like any business, and they will do so aggressively. are they going to round people up with a gun? No, instead they use numerous methods to make people believe they want to go there.. they manipulate their free will. there is truth to the adage, if you build it, they will come! eom/Zach
  • You have a degree in English????? I never would have guessed....your writing does not scream *English major* to me.
  • good.
  • True enough...there are people who do blame casinos for their gambling problems, blame banks for their debt problems, blame anyone and everyone but themselves, like you do.

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    Posted by: DebS
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 13:33:35 2008
    Message:

    Well, you are correct that I don't buy lottery tickets. And as much as I also get irritated at those who buy lottery tickets makign me stand in line longer than I'd like, I certainly would not automatically classify any of those people as "morons." If they want to buy lottery tickets, that's their choice. They're certainly not affecting me at all.

    And since when do smokers hold up the line when buying cigarettes? Most of us know exactly what brand we want and just ask the clerk to get them for us. If anythign, we are the fastest type of customer in that particular environment, LOL! We just want our butts, so we can get out!

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  • I was refrring to people who buy cigs and tickets together lol ;P zach

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    Posted by: The Rev. Trask
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 11:32:13 2008
    Message:
    Gambling is a tool of the devil. Miss Abigail Collins and I shall look into this.

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  • Ba-Ba-Ba-Barnabas throws illegal b-b-bingo games in the ba-ba-basement of The Old House. Ch-ch-check it out. - Willie Loomis

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    Posted by: rushlan
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 11:23:58 2008
    Message:

    You do point out that it is their money to do with what they want so why does it bother you so much?  Is it only because you have to wait in the line at the store? 

    What I fail to understand is why you have to categorize people you do not know, who are simply doing something you disagree with, as 'morons.' 

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  • I don't know why it bothers me so much. Maybe it is because my region in Canada has a much higher pverty rate than the rest of the country. Over 18% of our populous is below the poverty line.. and when you consider that to be below the poverty level, you have to be making well under $10,000 A YEAR, then you factor in the other people who are above the line but still extremely poor, it is very sad for our area. I think it bothers me because I see so many of these people look very impoverished, lack education, don't seem to have the resources to take care of themselves. They appear to be like zombies. Our government uses our region as a dumping ground for people released into society from prison, immigrants, and shuttles poor people from other areas to our own. As a result, the bigger picture reveals how our citizens have been forgotten. I don't see much of anything happening for our area. It is extremely depressed and the reason our area's economy is so horrible is because the cross-section of our city's population. When a third of the citizens are living in abject poverty, no investment is going to be coming into the area. We are losing more and more jobs, and there are BIG lines all the time at the lottery ticket counters. it is a sympton of a bigger problem. eom/ZACH
  • Well those seem to be very good reasons, though it is still none of your business how people spend their money, even very poor people. You do complain about your area and what your government is doing to it. If I were living there I would be raising heck to get the attention needed or I would be moving. What are you doing to help fix the situation or at least get the attention of an appropriate official? rushlan
  • Well my hometown got amalgamated with the bigger city closeby. That means our city lost its charter, mayor and sovereignty. Our taxes now go to the central city, and our services are getting worse because the bigger prioroty is the largest city. My city is(was) Stoney Creek, Ontario. and it was absorbed by Hamilton, Ontario. This is about 1 hour away from Toronto. I wrote several articles in our towns historical society newsletter and newspaper (both of which persist to maintain communtiy identity). To this day people write in and some demand things change. I find being educated and knowledgable is a huge advantage but I wish we could all do more. Governments are slow bureaucracies, it is very difficult to accomplish much without investing a substantial amount of time. As for people and their money, I have every right to think and make conclusions. I am not singling out any one person and making accusations because I don't know them. But as a general trend I observe, it is disturbing to me. I think the lottery is marketed as fun, when if you look deeper, to me seems like a money grab, which is of course it. The lottery wouldn't exist if it wasn't making huge profits, which the Ontario lottery Corporation is among one of the most successful companies in the province I am sure. I see it as further exploitation of an already bad situation. And I think that is a perfectly valid opinion. When certain people clear such a small amount of money, some of them on perpetual government assistance, it is odd that they funnel that cash right back to the system by buying further lottery tickets hoping to get rich. Thankfully, gambling is sumthing that never caught on with me. eom/Zach
  • I have a friend who lives in Hamilton and have visited he and his wife a couple of times. I found it to be a lovely city and they own a beautiful home, though they do tell of current economic depression, but not to the level you detail. You do have the right to form and express your opinions, it is simplly the categorization of these specific people as morons that I find really interesting. I guess I just am not one to be name-calling. Personally, since you opened the door of being able to form opinions, I think that you need to learn to be a little patient. When you frequent a convenience store, it is not there just for YOUR convenience, but for the convenience of all, no matter what they are buying. rushlan
  • but i didn't call them morons. i would have liked to say 'do you morons actually think you're going to strike it rich'? i called 'them' morons in the thread without specifiying exactly who was a moron. i am sure a few in the bunch are acting like morons. times are hard, but even i think there are many people in hamilton who are content to be stuck in the lowest classes, shop at the same walmart their entire life, and flirt with homelessness constantly. as for hamilton... many hamiltonians are proud of their city, and we all have our own opinions. then again even children can have strong opinions and not necessarily know anything at all. i think alot of people need to wake up if they think hamilton is an acceptable city. yes there are a few nice places, but living in a nice house in a city that size which has very little to do is no compensation. There are 3 cineplexes in our city area for 550,000 people, for example. And compared to Toronto, it is what many call a S***hole. In fact a Toronto radio station joked Hamilton is actually part of the 3rd world, and compared to Toronto, it certainly is. Wretched city IMO eom/Zach
  • Well I was raised to follow this rule: If you won't say something to someone's face, do not say it behind their back. So if I am not going to call someone a moron to their face, I would not do it here. The wording in your original post categorizes everyone in that line at the store as a moron. Now you are spinning and twisting your words to make them suit you. Well done. rushlan
  • i am sure some of them are. this forum is a means of thinking out loud for me, which is anonymous. I can think they are morons, and i can relay my instant gut feelings as a means of working out the issue.. but i wont call them morons to their face because as i said i dont know them specifically or their situation. i do believe as a trend though that many people who buy these tickets may be morons. but its rude to do so.. i can think it however, its my natural reaction, which i dont think would suit to follow on right away without due course. eom/Zach haha i talk like a lawyer.. guess its the linguist in me
  • I work with over 600 lawyers and trust me, you do not talk like a lawyer. rushlan
  • Or like a linguist....

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    Posted by: Duffy
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 9:05:04 2008
    Message:
    You say when you want something you will have to work for it.  Does that mean you now have a job and are not living off the very man, your father, whom you are criticizing for buying lottery tickets?????  Last I heard you were going back to school for yet another degree, making quilts with your mother and watching Y&R.

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  • OUCH!!!
  • GailJ, I am just going by what Zach has said in the past and, to me, it seems ungrateful if he is criticizing the way his father spends his money when Zach, himself, seems to be living off him. Of course, Zach may have gotten a job and is self-supporting and, if so, I apologize. ~Duffy
  • It depends what you mean by living off him. I pay for utilities, lots of my own food, and a few other things, and all my own expenses as well. True, I don't pay rent for my own apartment at the moment, so I am saving money that way until I move to go to school in September. You don't know the back story of why I came back to stay with my parents for awhile. I can assure you, if you knew, you would be ashamed of yourself for what you wrote. I work very hard and am largely independent in most ways.
  • Well, you know best about that, I'm sure. You must be a superman if you can *work very hard* and be independent as you say and still have time for college classes, making quilts, watching soaps and coming to the board several times a day. When you first came to the board, I remember you saying you had been fired from your last job and you hadn't mentioned getting another one so I assumed, since you still had lots of time, that you hadn't. So what are you doing now? ~Duffy
  • u are really getting personal lol........ the company downsized and fired several people, i was one of those people(MAY 12). so i got severance pay. i also got awarded Unemployment insurance so i get a check for $460 (canadian currency) every two weeks. I was working fulltime (the company called it fulltime anyway) and would have continued had this not happened. Since I am starting school so soon, getting another job didn't really make sense since #1 i was quite drained from that job #2 it was kind of hard to find a new job when I am leaving town #3 i am eligible for this EI money based on my claim investigation. Doesn't really make sense going out to work, even if I could find a job, when I can get a check I am entitled to. God knows we pay the government enough money as it is. Anyways, I am pretty busy these days, looking for apartments, getting the details for school together and my hikes and workouts. As for the financial situation, I pay all my own tuition and expense, etc as I said, since I have savings and a government loan to go to school. No doubt you will find something questionable here once again, but as far as I am concerned I feel really happy to have some time to kick back and maybe relax the odd time, though I really don't know how that feels cuz I am always wound so tight. Coming here to read helps fill some time and as for the soaps, I really don't watch them at all. i may catch something here and there but it's very little as they have bored me for years. They used to be good but that was a long time ago. eom/Zach
  • You are always running down govt. and TPTB so could I just point out to you that you got severance pay, unemployment and a govt loan to go to college?? It sounds like the bad ole TPTB have treated you pretty well. ~Duffy
  • Good point, Duffy. Without TPTB whether corporate or gov't., those things wouldn't be available. eom/faysie
  • I guess I am just smart and prepared. I also have a way of things working out for me when I need them. As for TPTB, we are not living in a dictatorship.. and I don't think people would ever consent to it.. though it could be a concealed dictatorship and then could go down easily. we will have to see what TPTB have up their sleeve next. as for individual govt, i live in Canada and our services are much better than in the states. i don't think that the gov't in the USA is as generous because America is in a defecit, and all services are being cut. the same is true for canada but we have less population and our system is a bit better run. we also have free welfare in canada.. i am not sure that exists in usa anymore.. i know there is some kind of welfare to work program, which is how they have managed to scam all those people into working low wage jobs like burger king that go nowhere and noone wants. it perpetuates poverty rather than helps anyone escape. the richer the rich get, the more they need to force the slaves to keep the cogs of the machine going for a pittance. u may not agree and thats fine but i have studied the issue and thats my perspective. the govt doesnt have our best interests at heart. as for taxes, they stiffed me for $500 with their regulations, so its not all peaches and cream~~ bye for now ZACH>EOM> =P

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    Posted by: ingyandbert
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 8:46:10 2008
    Message:

    You're right, I don't buy lottery tickets.  But if that's what someone wants to do with their money, that's fine as long as that expenditure is not taking the place of essentials.  There will always be people who are stupid enough to go without basic necessities so they can gamble their money on a losing proposition.  If they didn't play the lottery, they'd blow it on cards or sports bets or something.  For others, it's recreation.  They enjoy trying out the different games and following the results hoping for a big score.  Many people buy the $1 tickets and earn back enough through occasional small winnings to break even and that's fine with them.  But every once in a while, someone does hit the jackpot.  I recall when I lived in Georgia, a 19 year old country girl 20 miles from me won $180 million.  She said she would buy a pick up truck for her boyfriend and a horse farm for herself and her parents.  I say all the power to her.  As long as there are winners, people will keep buying the tickets.  For many, it represents hope for the future whether they win or not.


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    Posted by: SusieB
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 8:37:30 2008
    Message:

    Zach, not everyone who plays the lottery is as you described. 

    I play our twice weekly lottery, and spend a total of $4/week.

    For me it is just a little bit of harmless fun and who knows, maybe I will win. 

    I am not basing my retirement on it or anything, but I enjoy checking my #'s and seeing if maybe I won.

    If its a really huge jackpot I dont go crazy and buy $20 worth of tickets.   I play the same amount because I know if I am meant to win, it will only take that one ticket.

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  • Well i described a few different types, and as i said who am i to know who falls in what category. it's a person's own business, as much as taking drugs is their business. logically speaking there are better ways of finding fun or fortune than the lottery, most people just lack that something though. some people want to be in the game enough like you and thats fine if you choose. I know I have saved myself hundreds of dollars by not buying them, and if I am meant to win, I will win too, the rarest occasion when i buy one. eom/Zach

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    Posted by: GailJ
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 8:34:46 2008
    Message:
    It is terribly sad when those people that actually have an addiction end up spending food money for lottery tickets awaiting that day when they will be rich.  I've seen those folks in line and actually scratching the tickets right there on the premises.  When the lottery first came to Georgia I bought a few scratch offs.  Of course at the beginning they threw a few extra winners in there so people would win a little and eventually get hooked on them.  What I hate the most are those tickets where you don't win money but ANOTHER ticket.  Their hope is that you will take that winning ticket back and while exchanging it for another you will buy a few more.  I have never won more than $40 on a scratch off.  I rarely buy them now.  I can say tho that my brother actually won the Fantasy Five.  He won $145,000...got $93,000 after taxes.  Unfortunately he blew it in two years (but did give my parents $20,000) and now has nothing to show for it.  The only time that I make it a point to buy a ticket (not scratch off) is if the jackpot is really big.  I don't expect to win but if it comes that will be great.  I don't have money to pi$$ away so I don't make a trip to the store JUST to buy tickets.  I agree that there are some folks that are totally brain washed about this but as another poster stated above, if you buy a few here and there I really don't think it would be any worse than indulging in a $ 5.00 cup of coffee.

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  • well said / eom/zach
  • WAIT A MINUTE! IS THIS THE BROTHER THaT IS STAYING WITH YOU NOW? HE WON ALL THAT CASH?
  • YES!!! LOL....GJ
  • well at least u cant say he doesnt have a good heart. giving ur parents 20 out of 93 thousand is amazing. what a good son. he must have some kind of luck too. it is such a shame it is all gone. that was an opportunity to do sumthing more but it sounds like he had fun with it anyway :) zacheom

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    Posted by: serialmom
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 4:30:10 2008
    Message:

    Zach your lumping people together here. There are people who are addicted like the woman who I have been told by the clerk, buys the whole roll of scratch offs.  Another clerk, another store said she stands there 2 hours buying scratch offs. Some actually cost  $20 each!

    Then there are people like me and so many other retired persons here.  I buy a couple nearly every day. I have never bought a $5.00 cup of coffee. Don't drink wine.  We have sh-tty restaurants here so we don't spend much money there.   I don't work so I don't need pricey handbags or clothing.  Florida doesnt require more than jeans, T shirts or shorts. 

    In life I am as frugal a person as you could meet.  I fully aware of the astronomical odds of winning a high prize.  They are usually printed on the tickets.   For me its a lark, the same as impulsively saying, ''let's get some Ice cream.'' The difference is if you win $10, it doesnt stay on your hips.

    You know what gets me though?  When I do win and tell people.  They say ''Oh you're so lucky, I never win anything''  I then ask ''When did you buy one last?''  They say ''I never do.'' Well, the odds are predictably 100% they're not going to win anything isnt it. 

    No Zach I think I can speak for many others and say don't lump the sick people with us.

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  • I didn't lump people, as I said I can't assume. Yes there is a difference between buying hundreds of dollars worth in a month, and maybe one a day, but even that is alot. If that is your vice, that is fine, I understand, but logically speaking you wind up spending more than you will ever win. Unless you are one of the rare lucky few.. but the probelm is most people actually invest their fortune into fate. There are much better ways of getting money that are more solid. If this is fun for you, it's your business.. but generally speaking, alot of people are very ignorant in dreaming about winning the lottery. What they are doing actually, is disempowering themselves. eom.Zach
  • Ar you sure you really want to use the word vice? Its a little heavy for this forum isnt it? Inside....
  • I don't know, EuroSuzie below, used the same word. I think we know what they meant..Claudia

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    Posted by: EuroSuzie
    Date posted: Fri Jul 18 2:42:36 2008
    Message:
    I totally agree! When I moved here to be with my husband (then boyfriend) he had a subscription to the lottery here paying 13.50 (then guilders) a month for a ticket. He never won anything, just the occasional 5 guilders, maybe 25 once or twice.

    After we went to the Euro everything became expensive and we had to start cutting corners. I INSISTED that he cancel his subscription to the lottery, saying that it was equal to throwing 13.50 down the toilet, and he did. He still says now and then that he'd like to get another subscription, saying that MAYBE one day we will win. I don't understand this in him because he really is very smart. He is like those people who sit on their arses before a slotmachine in Las Vegas, getting the occasional 20-30 bucks, thinking that THIS pull will be the winner, losing more and more money each time.


    We do buy a ticket on Queen's Day and New Year's but that's it. If I go away on vacation by myself (usually to the US to see Mom and that's not a vacation! LOL But am usually gone 2-3 weeks) I always come back to find that he's bought a ticket every week that I am gone (but honey I won 5 euros with one -- maybe the next one will win!!)!! Oh well, we all have our vices....

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