Lottery winnings
Apropos of a comment I left for something anagramofbrat posted, I thought I'd bloviate about the terrible racket that are lotteries. Every once in a while, I play lotteries like Mega-Millions, wherein I sacrifice a dollar for a non-zero chance to win tens of millions of dollars. I don't expect to win, and I don't actually NEED the money, but I do it because of the freedom it would provide. Not to travel, or escape the rat race, or pay off debts, because I already have that.
No, if I ever wind up with major money, I'm going into politics and philanthropy, because I could skip a lot of the fundraising that drains so many politicians time, energy, and independence. And if I get REALLY rich, I may give Joss Whedon a fat check for more Firefly.
In reality, though, lotteries are cruel, regressive taxes that play on the desperate, the mentally ill, and the addicted. I think the state should just raise taxes on the rich ever so slightly, and then automatically enroll everyone in a regular $1 million jackpot (free of state taxes). Do it once a week, and we'll have about 50 new millionaires every year. After a few years, I think it will make a huge dent in our problems with poverty, school funding, etc.
No, if I ever wind up with major money, I'm going into politics and philanthropy, because I could skip a lot of the fundraising that drains so many politicians time, energy, and independence. And if I get REALLY rich, I may give Joss Whedon a fat check for more Firefly.
In reality, though, lotteries are cruel, regressive taxes that play on the desperate, the mentally ill, and the addicted. I think the state should just raise taxes on the rich ever so slightly, and then automatically enroll everyone in a regular $1 million jackpot (free of state taxes). Do it once a week, and we'll have about 50 new millionaires every year. After a few years, I think it will make a huge dent in our problems with poverty, school funding, etc.