Comments on: Confirmed: Lotteries are just taxes on people who can’t do math

By: Why do poor people always win the lottery? - myinvestingblog.com

Why do poor people always win the lottery? - myinvestingblog.com — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:05:45 +0000

[...] do poor people always win the lottery? Add I got to thinking about this today after reading Hot Air’s post about how they had to pull a lottery game in the UK because the goal of the game was in reference [...]

By: budorob

budorob — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:37:25 +0000

The Lottery: Self-imposed tax on the stupid.

By: Rugged Individual

Rugged Individual — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 05:23:55 +0000

I beg to differ… I submit that ALL sin taxes are taxes on the poor, since only the poor are affected harshly by them and especially when one considers the FACT that the poor constitute a much larger portion of drinkers, smokers and commuters than the wealthy.

Rugged Individual on November 9, 2007 at 6:59 PM

Im not saying that the others do not affect the poor. But, the vast majority of people who play the lottery are poor. Therefore it is primarily a tax on them.

Alcohol, etal is consumed by everyone across income gaps.

lorien1973 on November 9, 2007 at 8:19 PM

Once again, I beg to differ… Although I see your point, I believe the percentages are much closer than you assume. The middle-class are purchasing more lottery tickets, per person, than the poor. The wealthy drink and smoke much less than the not so wealthy. In the end, I believe it comes out as much more detrimental to the poor than the wealthy.

Sin taxes affect the poor much more than the wealthy and middle class, just on the basis of indulgence, but once we consider the percentage of a person’s income being wasted on that which he can’t afford, it becomes a form of persecution to tax things like tobacco, alcohol and fuel.

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 20:54:18 +0000

Lotteries are just taxes on people who can’t do math

Exactly right, Bryan.

Lottery = Stupid Tax.

By: Ordinary1

Ordinary1 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:42:03 +0000

Buzzy on November 10, 2007 at 11:18 AM

I don’t see anything wrong with a buck spent on the Lotto here and there. Like I said earlier, I bought my house in Texas from a guy who won $33 million on a quick pick. It can happen. I feel sorry for the folks who spend $$ they can’t afford on the unrealistic hope that the lottery will pull them out of poverty.

A buck now and then = entertainment
Spending grocery $$ = sad

By: Buzzy

Buzzy — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:18:18 +0000

Sorry I still enjoy buying a lotto ticket early in the week and daydreaming about what I’d do with the winnings. I do wonder though why my dear spouse usually ends up buying Rat poison early in the week too. We don’t have Rats! Strange.

By: Ordinary1

Ordinary1 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 16:16:07 +0000

And you can see how they get away with this…math, simple math, is beyond most people.

right2bright on November 10, 2007 at 9:23 AM

I agree with all that and it’s a great reminder. I would add that the media is complicit. If a politician was corrected by the media every time they tried to call spending less than originally planned a cut, or taxing less than originally planned a cut, they would be forced to stop using such Orwellian speech. We would all be better off for it.

By: right2bright

right2bright — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:23:10 +0000

You guys don’t know anything about real math. This is real government math.
This is how taxes are explained. When they suggest a tax, say 9% and they finally pass the new tax at 7%…they saved you 2%, and they campaign that they have cut your taxes by 2%. Or they cut your taxes by 1%, and raise “FEES” by 3%, they run around saying they lowered taxes–even though it costs you 2% more to live in the state (hello Mitt), they claim they don’t raise taxes.
And you can see how they get away with this…math, simple math, is beyond most people.
2% of your Social Security invested privately will give you a better return then the other 98% taken by the government…and people don’t get it. 2% out performs 98%.

By: Today’s “Well, duh!” Headline

Today’s “Well, duh!” Headline — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 14:02:22 +0000

[...] Lotteries are just taxes on people who can’t do math (of course, there’s a study involved. Me, I’m waiting for a grant-funded study to prove that water is wet.) [...]

By: Texas Nick 77

Texas Nick 77 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 11:14:30 +0000

As someone who never plays the lottery here in Thailand, I have to admit I do play some in the states. I wager about 0.1% of my income every few years on a lotto jackpot, if it hits over 100 mill. I figure, if it hits, it is a nice ROI.

By: DavePa

DavePa — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 04:46:31 +0000

” ‘…from players who could not understand how, for example, -5 is higher than -6.‘
.
It’s hard to count negatives on fingers and toes.”
.
Well, that explains why the Brits keep electing Labour governments. A majority of them keep adding 2+2 and hope for a different answer. (Isn’t that the working definition of idiocy?)

By: Mojave Mark

Mojave Mark — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 02:47:02 +0000

It's well established that lotteries are a wonderful way to get the people who use all the social programs to ante up and pay their fair share of taxes. Lovely. These Brits who can't add need to get with the French who don't know that the moon obits the earth.

By: Mistahtibbs

Mistahtibbs — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:56:20 +0000

People don’t give a sh*t about probability.

They’re more than happy with the possiblity.

No matter how remote.

You know what “they” say.

“Somebody’s” gotta win.

Honey. It just ain’t gonna be you. And I’ll lay a hefty wager on that one.

By: lorien1973

lorien1973 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:19:50 +0000

I beg to differ… I submit that ALL sin taxes are taxes on the poor, since only the poor are affected harshly by them and especially when one considers the FACT that the poor constitute a much larger portion of drinkers, smokers and commuters than the wealthy.

Im not saying that the others do not affect the poor. But, the vast majority of people who play the lottery are poor. Therefore it is primarily a tax on them.

Alcohol, etal is consumed by everyone across income gaps.

By: SPIFF1669

SPIFF1669 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:13:07 +0000

Brain freeze?

By: highhopes

highhopes — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:09:20 +0000

Nevermind that the next generation is going to be fatter than the current one….. They are also going to be far dumber. Then these idiots will join the ranks of teachers who are incapble of solving math problems without the “answer key” and so on. This is a cycle of ignorance that is apparently spreading to Europe. Of course, it will all be America’s fault but that’s another thing.

By: iam7545

iam7545 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 01:04:54 +0000

The first confession book ever written about the Mafia was the Valachi Papers – The book describes how Bugsy Seigel invented the first numbers game – and why – WHY? They could not figure out any other way to get money from the poor N&*&^*^*%%s.
It always was a dumb tax that robs the poor!

By: Snidely Whiplash

Snidely Whiplash — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:59:38 +0000

I think we should get rid of taxes completely and just institute more lotteries to raise money for the government. May have to make the odds of winning a little better to attract a larger pool of players, but with a bit of tweaking you might be able to do it.

By: inviolet

inviolet — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:57:55 +0000

Anyone see the little throwaway scene in the movie “The Island” where the hyper friend of Ewan McGregor had a crazy “alphabet-math” scheme to win the Island Lottery? I laughed my butt off.

By: inviolet

inviolet — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:53:18 +0000

the lottery is the only tax that is given targeted at the poor.

lorien1973 on November 9, 2007 at 5:39 PM

Bingo is probably the other one. Unfortunately.

Well unless you have a butcher knife handy.
And that only works once, really.

Kensington on November 9, 2007 at 4:57 PM

LOL!! love the “really”

By: Rob Taylor

Rob Taylor — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:52:53 +0000

I’ve always said Lotteries were really I.Q. tests where the more tickets you buy the lower your score was.

By: inviolet

inviolet — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:52:31 +0000

A similar kind of bad-at-math phenomenon is the making of change by cashiers. At McDonald’s or Wal-Mart your bill is 4.61 and you give them 20.11 and many will stare confusedly at the coins in their hand and then look up at you like you’re an idiot. Am always really nice about it but inside my eyes are rollin’.

By: Jay

Jay — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:24:39 +0000

I look at lotteries as voluntary taxes. Just because people are too stupid to do the math is no excuse.

By: IrishEi

IrishEi — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:17:04 +0000

They should have used imaginary numbers (i) introduced in pre-calc(?). Just think how much fun that would have been.

On a serious note, how do people balance their checkbooks if they don’t understand negative numbers. I need to use them twice a month for a few days before payday.

By: Ordinary1

Ordinary1 — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:13:43 +0000

You can’t very well expect me to figure this out when 32F = 0C = 273K ??? It’s all very confusing. I’ll take ten scratch offs please. And when I win, I’m gonna buy an Island where it never drops below 78F, 26C!