‘THE IDIOT TAX’ or STAY AWAY FROM THE LOTTERY
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY APRIL 8, 2019) — It’s “the idiot tax.” It’s a self-imposed financial hit for those who can’t do math. It’s the ultimate sucker bet.
It’s the Massachusetts State Lottery or any state lottery.
Do you play it? Do you pay it? If you do, you can honestly and without malice be called a “loser.” Because if you play the lottery, you will lose money. Players tend to be poor, uneducated, and addicted. Figures show that persons of color spend $998 a year on average playing the lottery. Whites spend $210. Most players have a high school education at best, with a disproportionate number of dropouts. Lottery players drink more, take more drugs, smoke more, receive more welfare, pay less taxes, and contribute less to their communities than productive citizens. We’re not talking about the occasional “you never know” player or someone who buys a bunch for a stocking stuffer. It’s the habitual players who appear on the scope.
THE PLANET presents 16 reasons to stay away from the lottery:
- Communities with heavy lottery action invest less in infrastructure, economic development, public safety, and quality of life issues.
- The have more graffiti, more trash, and poorer roads.
- Lotteries kill personal initiative. Ambition dies expecting to “hit the big one,” the odds of which can be as high as 1 in 200 million. Hitting for more than $100 is a 1 in 137,071 shot, derived from the formula x = 2 (G to the nth power) -1, where x represents the odds against certainty, G the number of games with more than $100 prizes with the Lottery’s own assurance that every ticket has the same random chance of being selected.
- Nearly all winners lose in the long run. To win $5, they spend $10. On average, for each dollar a person spends on the lottery, she loses $1.47.
- Compared to other forms of gambling, lotteries keep payouts dismally low in proportion to the money risked, what Vegas calls a “sucker bet.”
- Lotteries fuel gambling addiction.
- More than 70% of big winners lose it all within a five years, their lives ruined.
- The personal costs — broken families, lost friendships, less money for necessities — have huge negative impact on communities.
- The poor spend on average nearly 10% of their take-home pay on the lottery.
- Lottery tickets are taxed at 38%.
- The revenue generated for states is nothing more than regressive taxation, the type that the left condemns everywhere else.
- States with lotteries spend less on education than states with no lotteries.
- Discarded tickets add to litter. In Pittsfield, you see so many losing tickets on the ground you would think they just held a parade.
- Cities with heavy lottery use look shabby, have bad politics, and feature a demoralized citizenry.
- Cities with heavy lottery use have more drug users, welfare cheats, single moms, teen pregnancies, and more crime. Lottery players drink and smoke more, eat more fast food, exercise less, and generally take poor care of themselves.
- Lotteries inject false hope into those who most need authentic reasons for confidence and self-reliance. The psychological damage cannot be calculated.
So what are you waiting for, Albert? Get over to Palmer’s, got your cigs, your swigs, and your losing tickets.
Hey, ya never know.
But THE PLANET does.
——————————————————————————————————————–
“Love is a fan club with only two members” — Gore Vidal.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
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The majority who play lottery are idiots, so that must mean the majority who voted for mayor are ?
The irony is that all of it was to go to education.
They also are Trump voters.
Fake News
If Find it offensive and take assertions the tier of the buyers are all non White and uneducated, where did you find that data?
JOSEY
The data comes from good old-fashioned research. The studies are there for you to see for yourself. In fact, the amount of research done of this is prodigious. BTW, the use of “all” in your comment is yours alone. As another commentator mentioned, there are exceptions to every set of demographics. That said, the assertions are supported by the facts. Do you find facts “offensive?”
The facts are what the Planet stated but put them in context. Lottery tickets are bought by people who don’t really fit our economy. They aren’t born with the right skills, grew up in a culture that works against success often making excuses for themselves instead of working hard. The lottery is the most corrupt form of taxation. Its regressive, deceptive and hits the poor very hard. The only positive is that it basically ended the “numbers” racket which was big when I was a kid. Now the state gets the money not the mob.
Massachusetts has the most lucrative state lottery, several casino gambling businesses, and legal medical and recreational marijuana businesses. What is next? Legal Red Light districts: A special massage with a “happy ending”?
“Sin” taxes are schemes for regressive taxation so the wealthy, especially big businesses, may pay less taxes. I believe gambling is more about psychology than money. Like all vices – sex, drugs, gambling, power, money – the real pleasure is in the brain where you get a feel good Dopamine rush; Dopamine, Serotonin, Oxytocin, and Endorphins are the quartet responsible for your happiness.
Your brain gets addicted to the dopamine rushes by all the stimulation gambling causes the addicted gambler to feel. The money is not the primary motivator for placing your bets. It is called “a dollar and a dream”.
Politicians are the “drug dealers” of lottery tickets. Then then become high paid lobbyists for casino gambling. To your local political hack, it is all about their pleasure derived from your money for their power!
– Jonathan Melle
Soon to open, the Robert Kraft Massage Parlor. Buy one happy ending, get one free.
Mass has one of the best lotteries of all states and all the money goes to the cities and towns. I hear Palmers is the luck spot. Think I’ll go tomorrow for a piece of cardboard crack -hey look at all the winners on the state web site and you can check the odds too – way better than what you say Dan. Would like to know your sources on this one.
https://www.masslottery.com
Palmers should combine lottery tickets, slot machines, card tables, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, porn, strip club, and a massage parlor! Go WILD!
Friday nights include, but not limited to, the bodega, the brothel, and Lanesborough Wine & Spirits.
On caveat: Not necessarily in that order!!
Keep hope alive!!
J-99
“Cardboard crack” — great phrase that sums it up nicely.
My questions would be, Who oversees that the Mass. lottery is legitimate? Can we trust the lottery or even those chosen to oversee it (if there is such an entity) Usually where there are large sums of money there are people attempting to exploit weakness in the system.
Also how much money does the printer of the tickets take in each year? These tickets look like they would cost a pretty penny to print. Who has this lucrative contract?
If you have to buy lottery tickets Be careful that the clerk checking your ticket is honest. Try to watch the monitor if you can. This has ben a major problem.
This is a great subject to discuss Dan. thank you for bringing it up.
The biggest worry in Pittsfield as we speak is Mr McCandless has done nothing to take control from the kids at Herberg Middle School.Yon,Tyer,McCandless need to understand that good things dont happen in bad environments.Mccandless and Yon are responsible for developing this.This is where Gang behavior is learned.Kids intimidate kids.Kids intimidate staff.Mccandless needs to work from Herberg School with do nothing Joe Curtis who is buying more software.Please trade assistant Joe for 1 cafeteria worker and 1 half day para.
This guy and all his smiling soldiers get their fat paychecks no matter what. Even if the kids come out stupider than they went to his schools he will be on his yacht all summer watching the dolphins. He and his assistants and assistants to assistants are locked in no matter what happens to Jonny and Susie.
Ridiculous how they get away with advertising a false jackpot value based on future payments rather than the actual current value, that is simply fraud, not just taking advantage of fools.
You actually have a better chance at a casino and that is a low bar to work from.
DOOM
A much better chance at the casino. Best bet in the house: Craps table. Rolling out, all your dough on one turn of the dice. Win-lose, walk away after that one outcome. House’s odds under that strategy: 51.5%. Your odds: 48.5%. Best single bet to make.
I know a guy who spends 600 a week on scratch tickets and it ruined his life,he cant stop.
TSC
’tis a story repeated many times, with greater and lesser dollar amounts, but most all amount to the same ruin.
Yes, I play the lottery. I am college-educated, know the odds, am upper middle class, and can darn well afford it.
I only play it when I have a couple of bucks of loose change banging around, and the vast majority of my plays are $2 instants with a smattering of occasional crap $1 plays.
FYI, overall, I am NOT in the red playing the lottery. For 2019, I have spent $18 on tickets. I have won YTD $220.
Dan, I lectured a friend of mine who was spending 1/2 of what she earned every night in tips as a waitress warning her about how much money she was wasting. She then hit it twice for $25,000 and $20,000. After burning through the cash on a trip and buying more tickets, she bumped into me to proudly announce she had given up scratch tickets. She had switched to Lotto!
Meanwhile, North County, we have an elderly gentleman that spends every day going between locations buying scratch tickets. His gross earnings last stood at $2.3 million. He’s paid off his and his kids mortgages, and bought everybody new cars.
Overall, I agree with every point that you’ve made, but to every rule there are exceptions, and in this dreary life that we’ve created for the working poor, gambling away what little they have is sadly their only hope for a better future.
That doesn’t say much for the society we’ve created.
TRUTH
Interesting comments. I enjoyed reading them. They add to the discussion!
Truth,
I agree that the possibility of winning can at least provide some form of hope for people who could really use the money. That alone has value. Then sometimes they even win. But the vast majority of people who play are poor and the vast majority of them lose. I think the avg. state lottery pays out in winnings about 60% of the money it takes in. Your money is better spent at the horse track. And how exactly do states with lotteries justify the illegality of sports betting, where the vig is only 10%? L.
The wife was given a few lottery tickets for her birthday in a card awhile back and one of them was a $10 grand winner. She has never bought them herself or played the lottery before or after. I myself on occasion will buy one here and there. I stopped to get gas one time and bought two $5 tickets one of which was also a 10 grand winner. This was 2 years after her win. Then on our way home from a local high school b ball game I stopped and got gas in Cheshire and got a $5 ticket and hit a grand. We were very lucky in those couple years. Last year the kids took me to a casino for my birthday. It was my first time to one and hit a grand. I didn’t play anymore after that as I took the dough and ran.
I quit smoking a lifetime ago. At the time cigarettes were under $1.50. I took two dollars of the money that I would have spent on cigarettes and spent it on the lottery weekly. I have won a couple big amounts but over the years have obviously lost more than I won. I figure over 34 years I have probably lost about $1200 in the lottery. If I had continued to smoke however, I would be out about $75,000, excluding health care costs. I figure I am ahead.
Does the State make more from the lottery or from tobacco tax?
I hit a lottery for 4.5 million.whats the problem,dead beats are going to be dead beats no matter what.
Look at poor Pete from Adams stealing from the ponies over the hill? It’s everywhere, now you can smoke weed and scratch,all
Day, or sell dope and get away with it.
I have to laugh at people in office or that work for the city living elsewhere, or sending kids out of district for learning.I understand that the Mayor was very concerned about that. Think about it, even if you are made to pay for sending a kid out of town or pay for private school,then why do we fund the schools and build new ones to begin with,if our education is so great? Why send your kid out of town?Isn’t it the idea that are great school system attracts families from other areas,so a reason for coming here to begin with,especially new employers? What new employers?. Remember the hula bull about the Airport? We need it so when the Rolodex is opened up these upstarts can land right here, what a joke,what employers. Maybe that’s why this Mayor lives on the edge of town.
I throw a buck behind my sofa every day. By year’s end, I know I will hit the $365 jackpot!
Hope the wife does not decide to vacuum back there one day.
I threw a quarter up in the air the other day,six lawyers grabbed at it.
Another man said that one lady went on her lottery drive by everyday with her regular route at 7am,11am,3pm,And 7pm 7 days a week.He was behind her and the counter guy said that would be 120 bucks for the scratch tickets.These guys spend all day everyday scratching.
If Shot spotter doesn’t work 100 percent of the time, then it isn’t worth it. Has it caught anyone inth act yet? Not enough either way,half the time it takes longer to map out the right zone the shot came from to begin with,other times it also picks up fireworks,unless you enforce fireworks,the coppers are wasting time.
Who’s stupid enough to hang around after illegally discharging a firearm?
the guy with a handful of lottery tickets
Glenn Beck is in charge of destroying Joe Biden.Glenn is spreading the word of God following that with destroying Biden calling the Creepy word which is code for pedophile. Glenn Becks show is also a deceptive site pretending to be about Christ
Joe Biden is in charge of destroying Joe Biden.
Glen Beck is a compassionate and extremely intelligent man who spends lots of his own money to save victims of ISIS, donates to so many worthy causes and is against abortion. His stance on abortion really irritates the far left since they now want to allow third trimester abortion and not give any rights to babies born alive after a third trimester abortion. Glen Beck is also a threat to the far left agenda of big government socialist control.
His name is spelled Glenn Beck.
Pat, TSC just reposts the same crap every day. I’ve decided to stop replying as that’s the best way to handle trolls.
Irony? If the poor are spending the most money on the lottery, and the poor are most likely to have section 8 and food stamps and Medicaid, is the state just getting its own money back?
Because almost everything is subject to one or another state tax much of the money goes back to the hackorama slush fund.
Regarding Mass lottery winnings……they “pay out” a lot of winnings in 2, 5, 10 or 20 dollar prizes. The vast majority of people will not take the money and run. They just turn around and buy more tickets that are loosers. The State can say they award X millions but it’s in low amounts that people squander. I’ve been to many charity events where scratch tickets on a tree are raffled off. Typically the tree has 100 or 200 dollars worth of tickets and the person who wins them usually is lucky if they realize $20.00.
We are ALL gamblers. That is the whole reason we are here.
My favorite is buying a ten dollar-ticket and winning ten dollars? What is the theory behind that?
So the state can say that someone won ten bucks.
The Megabucks Lottery DOES PAY EVERY TIME !
Every year between September 15th and October 15th a little known thing happens….each and every city and town in Massachusetts ( 352 to be exact ) gives out applications for
every citizen to fill out that will award them up to $ 2,000.00 each
for doing something cultural in their community. You don’t have to be an artist as you can do something as simple as reading poetry to elderly persons living in nursing homes or discussing wild birds to children in grade schools…something in the arts and sciences that will benefit under served audiences in our
State. Get creative and go out and make some lottery cash that
each year is set aside for the citizens of our Commonwealth.
It’s a no brainer….anybody can do it. You only have between
September 15th and October 15th to get your application…and
there are free workshops to help you fill out your applications.
EVERYBODY IS A WINNER !
So be on the lookout for news stories in the newspaper that your local Arts Lottery Council or Cultural Council is giving out the
applications or call the City Clerk to inquire when and where you can get your application between Sept. 15th and Oct. 15th…and finally be a winner !
I found more proof that Pittsfield is still losing people/taxpayers to population loss in 2019. The 4 decade trend of population loss in Pittsfield is worse than ever!
– Jonathan Melle
—–
Pittsfield City Councilor Chris Connell says he’s most concerned about the affordability of living in Pittsfield.
“I spoke with a veteran real estate agent who said this has been the busiest winter in 25 years. People are moving out. They can’t afford the water/sewer rates and property taxes,” he said.
Source: “Connell running for another term on Pittsfield City Council”, By Dick Lindsay, The Berkshire Eagle, April 8, 2019
I would like to ask Mr. Connell why Alfred drive has been let to deteriorate for so long. The road is caving in in several spots and the residents spend huge bucks in taxes. Is this his ward or not?
Why don’t you ask him?
The final decision what streets are repaved are NOT left up to the councillors. It is left up to the commissioner of public services and the MAYOR. All that I can do is make suggestions. Please feel free to call the mayor’s office with your concerns about Alfred Dr. Thanks
CC
Thanks for the information. The office to go to would be the mayor. The person to bug would be the DPW chief. On a personal note, glad to see you’re running again.
Spot on with the lottery. I usually get this response with Glenn Beck and to a lesser extent Dan Valenti. I can’t stand Glenn Beck, Why? Because he Lies, about what? Everything. Follows a pattern though.
Glenn Beck is from another planet. He reminds me of someone who spent a good part of his life on LSD. Total wackadoo in my opinion.
I don’t watch or listen to Beck, Limbaugh, Hannity, Mika and Joe, Maddow, Matthews or any of that crap. Why? It’s a total waste of time paying any attention to someone who’s paid to lie.
A friend of mine played a certain number religiously, they were six numbers that he always played,his birthday,daughters,date etc. he was playing a game on his way home and he forgot his auto ticket, the line was long also,so, rather than fill out a ticket he played a couple quick picks. Anyway next morning he’s drinking his coffee and the news comes on with the numbers, his numbers,the one he always plays.That jackpot as 63 million dollars. About a year later he died. I always thought it was because of that.
Trump now consolidating his power around family.Oversight of appointments are gone.American people are more removed from their goverment than anytime in its history.Trump not answerable to anyone except the Supreme Court right now.Fox news is 24 hours a day advertisement for Trump policies Glenn Beck being charged with Joe Biden’s destruction.God speaks with Beck and urges him to do and say things.Beck is code wording pedophile as Joe is creepy,Glenn Beck is calling Joe Biden a pedophile. Glenn called Obama a racist and cried that he was President.
So, it’s all true. what’s the problem?
Creepy uncle Joe, if the shoe fits you must convict. Can you spell pedophile?
Yon,Tyer,McCandless, Marchetti do not understand the tax problems for people they do not associate with.One of them needs to immediately get the others to do a emergency small cut it last year’s budget.We are at the tipping point right now.Pittsfields elite must get compassion for home owners .I can’t believe that some councilors can afford 10 k plus realestate taxes.Even locally we are losing site of the reality of the have and have nots.Our own democrats in Pittsfield are 1%ers who don’t get it.
They could give as shit less. People with power are filling their own gravy bowls.
“Emergency small cut”????
It’s time the council grew a pair and started serious limb removal surgery. Eliminate the community development department, cut school budget 30 percent, cut all other budgets 10 percent, stop the freebies, repeal the community preservation tax. Forget Tyers “investments”, “programs”, and “initiatives”, and focus on budget cuts, crime, and cleaning up the roads and parks. Cities a siht hole.
Johnny99 for mayor!
I agree with all your suggestions!
Go for it !! Agree… Or Work with Scott Graves on his mayoral platform.
Love it all, Johnny99!
If only our CC would do all of what you mentioned, this city would “shine”.
Since it’s mainly poor people who play the lottery, the problem will become even worse when more and more illegal immigrants enter the country. These are extremely poor people who will mainly work at low level jobs and will need lots of government assistance. At the same time our government is pushing abortion on Americans and justifying it by saying that women who can’t afford children should not be having them, we have millions of extremely poor families entering the country.
Do you believe in God Pat? Because isn’t God sending them here? If not, why is he not stopping them if he thinks it is a bad thing? Maybe the religious right should all join together in prayer and ask God to send these poor frightened people back to the hell they came from.
Go ahead. I know he listens to you guys cuz you are all good decent loving, kind caring people who really do believe in his scripture.
According to my old fashioned research, the state lottery is a 100 million dollar economic engine for Pittsfield, right up there with alcohol sales, followed closely by tobacco, and now coming to a theater near you – marijuana.
My God man, what do you think is keeping all these mom and pop variety stores, Oops, I mean Indian owned variety stores in business? It ain’t milk, bread, and eggs my friends, it’s nips, scratch offs, and tobacco. If no one drank booze or smoked or played the lottery, city would be in a worse depression than it already is. Seriosuly!!!!
Sad but true
Glad to see that Chris Connell will be running again. Good man!
He should have added to his list of why people are moving out ….”the massive problems within the school system”.
SPIDEY
We agree with these remarks. CC is a god man.
Tyer MarchettiYon Mccandless hurt your family financially.Im now hearing about 3 more families in the Southeast who are removing their kids 5 in total from Herberg school.These families are able to drive them out of town on school choice law.They won’t consolidate schools.Hibbard costs 150k just to heat the stockroom.Crosby has mold and a new heating system is 5 million and windows have asbestos caulking.That place is unsafe.
Unless they get discipline issues under control – more will leave.
MR F
Yes. Reports from Battleground Classroom via teachers and staff tell us the problems are nearing the tipping point in the wrong direction. Teaching and learning are near impossible in too many Pittsfield classrooms. Disruptive kids are essentially free to do as they will. Rampant drug use and trade in the buildings of both high schools and middle schools. Everyone’s looking the other way. THIS is the 8,000-pound gorilla problem that Pittsfield’s politicians, particularly the mayor and school committee, REFUSE to face or admit. It is also likely the No. 1 why the city has a “REPEL” force field preventing companies and decent families from wanting to be involved in city life.
Excuse me if I am not in step, but I really believe this is not as well known out in the public awareness. It perhaps should be brought to even the City Council to start a ruckus. Just my thought.
Why do people always think they know how much the gorilla weighs? They can’t talk and I know ya didn’t weigh em so if it’s an approximation please just say so.
Jesus!
The gorilla your dreams?
Well Johnny you can bet your lottery money that if DV says the gorilla weight X pounds its because he weighed it. The guy has his facts down cold.. DV does weigh his gorillas!!
BAR
So true!!
Pressure needs to be put on McCandless out in the open regarding Herberg School. The buck stops with him, fire away until he understands his responsibility is to get this under control. It needs to be a public forum in a public facility.
McCandless believes it’s bad policy to back up teachers in the classroom enforcing rules of control to teach.He will not enter the building to help them or to show them how its done.He is so far removed from teaching he has only his budget telling taxpayer ,the mayor and Yon the boss that hiring people is the answer,everyone knows that not true,but it gets you from budget approval to budget approval……We have lost 500 kids to behavior and children intimidating children.Time to pick weeds in the schools.The weeds are chocking the lawn.
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/shape-your-future-berkshire-leaders-seek-to-make-every-effort-count-for-2020-census,569923
They care about population loss only when it means it might be fewer of them around to spend less (oh no!!) of your hard earned money. Embarrassed – never.
The dysfunctional machine that is Pittsfield is fed by local, state and federal taxes. Cut the source, cut the nonsense.
How many members of our School Comm. are parents with children attending our public schools?
Names please!
Would that not be shocking to see a list of how many people employed by the Pittsfield school system have children or grandchildren being sent outside the local system?
And as soon as MCandless reads this he will be sending IMs to all personnel telling them to lock down this information and claim total ignorance of any such thing.
https://www.iberkshires.com/story/59673/Harrington-Launches-Plan-to-Address-Domestic-Sexual-Violence.html
Another ‘task force’ that will have little or no results yet spend alot of money. Why is the answer to every problem to create a task force or committee that solves nothing?
Because it sounds like they are actually doing something to solve the problem when in reality doing nothing would have the same results as a task force.
These commissions give buffoons like Ziggy Herzig something to do to boost their self-esteem.
Not 1 member of the School Committee members has a child in the schools.Here is the Truth,they really believe adding councilors will straighten out classroom behavior.Send kids home to the parents and let them deal with it.The kids are learning how to intimidate in middle school.It is a training ground to teach about how to impose group or gang intimidation.
Thank you TSC, you just confirmed what I had been told that none of our SC members have kids in our public schools.
So, our SC is not beholden to the poor taxpayers who pay the bill for our schools or to the well being of our children, but rather to McCandles and the teachers union.
If these SC members had children coming home to them every night with unbelievable stories of what goes on in schools, things would be different.
I rest my case!
Do you have children coming home to you every night telling unbelievable stories of what goes on in schools?
New MassHole rules.
Lottery winnings of a million or more will be paid out at $1.00 a year for one million years. Taxed at only 96%
When I suggested in an earlier post on this site that people could
get an application to earn funds from the Megabucks Lottery given out each year I forgot that most people don’t want to do any work to win lottery funds…they just want to scratch a ticket. My mistake…I forgot just how lazy most people are.
If only all people were ambitious like you.
I wonder how Bouvier and Smitty feel about giving 50 million to GE
Why should they care? It’s not there money.
I am frustrated with Pittsfield politics because the state and local political hacks are the only ones who understand why people are moving away from Pittsfield due to its high municipal taxes, fees, and debts, which was recently noted by City Councilor Chris Connell in the Berkshire Eagle. The political hacks are the ones who created the problems that drove thousands of people to move out of Pittsfield!
What ever happened to “investing in people” instead of shaking them down? A good public servant would see money as a means to an end instead of the end goal. He or she would see the people as the community’s most valuable resource because they work, live, and pay the bills to make the community prosperous.
Instead, Pittsfield politics’ response to everything is to raise municipal taxes, fees, and debts to unsustainable levels, which forces the people to move away. The only people who stay have no other alternative. They are dependent on welfare, social services, and work low wage, part time jobs. These poor people don’t understand the stakes and are part of the growing underclass, who mostly don’t vote or care about civic matters.
– Jonathan Melle
Bloated school budget.
Let’s put a ten cent deposit on lottery tickets
and ciggie butts too!
Wasn’t big selling point for the state lottery, that the loot raked in by the State, would be used to fix our roads and fund our schools?
How did that work out?
It’s just like your taxes, it goes down to a $#!thole in Basstun called Beacon Hill, never to be seen again!