Furry and Fuzzy Things Lottery
Does it depress anyone but me that good causes seem more and more drawn to gambling to finance their pet causes?And, speaking of pet causes, the latest idea is a scratch-off lottery with the proceeds going to endangered species, humane education and cats and dogs. HB 4363, sponsored by Rep. Tom Holbrook (D-Belleville) is now on the House floor. The bill, of course, will pass and Gov. Rod Blagojevich will sign it at a pet shelter.
I passed the Non-Game Wildlife Check-Off bill my last term in the House during the 1970’s, only to see Gov. Jim Thompson veto it, so my criticism is not intended as a slap at the entities that would receive the money. (The next term, State Rep. Virginia Macdonald of Arlington Heights got Thompson to sign it.)
But, won’t these lottery tickets be attractive to children? Do we really want kids to think that success is dependent on luck, instead of hard work?
Here’s another lottery idea.
How about a scratch-off lottery based on state elected officials?
Put the pictures of state legislators, statewide elected officials, Supreme and Appellate court judges on lottery tickets.
Players could have a love-hate relationship with their politicians.
Take out your dissatisfaction by scratching their face off a ticket and get satisfaction, if you win.
The proceeds could go to hire more lawyers in the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Never know what you are going to read about politics on McHenry County Blog.
3 comments:
Why not just give gambling over to the free market and have Nevada style gambling laws? That way, if someone wants to privately set up a lottery for a cause, they are completely free to do so.
Actually, after having read former State Rep. Lewis Caldwell's book, "The Lottery King," I got a bill onto the House floor that would have allowed the licensing of policy runners.
Caldwell, an independent black who stayed at the old Hotel Governor, as did I in th e'70's, was a graduate of the Northwestern Social Work School.
In his novel, a bunch of do-gooders lobby Chicago's mayor about policy (think door-to-door daily lotteries). The mayor tells them to come back when they have some power.
They obtain power & return. I'm having problems remembering the plot, but from my pursuit of the bill, I guess they wanted to let the little guy into the policy game. A comparison was made to the early unregulated insurance agents.
The answer to your question is that gambling interests have way too much power in Illinois already. They and other heavily regulated industries should be prohibited from making campaign contributions, in my opinion.
Cal,
No gambler has enough - of anything - ever; as far as power they are only getting warmed up.
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