**Lottery Passed the Senate**

[Endangered Specie]

http://www.wral.com/news/4914440/detail.html

N.C. Senate Passes Lottery Bill
Two Lottery Opponents Not At Legislature; Bill Awaits Gov. Easley's Signature


The Senate vote was tied 24-24, but Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, the Senate's presiding officer, cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of creating the lottery.

SURVEY
Despite previously polling senators and not finding enough support for a lottery, the N.C. Senate met without two lottery opponents present and narrowly approved the measure Tuesday. What do you think of the ethics of this move?
It's fine; it was an announced session and everyone knew it was happening.
I don't feel good about how it happened, but I'm glad that we will have a lottery.
It's an underhanded, sneaky move that shows there isn't real support for such a measure.
Who cares?
Results | Disclaimer

Before Tuesday, North Carolina was the only state on the East Coast without a state-run numbers game.

Senate Majority Leader Tony Rand, D-Cumberland, brought up the bill for consideration about 1:15 p.m. Senate leader Marc Basnight told WRAL he called senators back to Raleigh because he thought the votes were there to pass a lottery.

Five Democrats and all 21 Republicans in the chamber opposed a lottery bill that would funnel net proceeds to public school construction, college scholarships and Gov. Mike Easley's class-size reduction and preschool programs.

Two Republican senators who opposed the lottery -- Harry Brown of Onslow County and Robert Garwood of Wilkes County -- were not present at the Legislature for the vote. Both had received excused absences.




Nice move! if only the national democrats had such spine!

[SunDrop23]

1. That's good news.

***

[flakey_foont]

2. And about darn time, too!

[Triana]

3. WoW! Cap Popped AND the Lottery!

Wooot!

[dsc]

4. spine my ass

If they had any spine they would have refused to cut taxes on the very rich, not increased them, albeit via a voluntary tax, on the poor and middle class.

[kick-ass-bob]

5. I don't think anyone is going to convince me this was a good idea.

Economically, it is a ridiculous way to raise money (30 cents on the dollar) and the only reason it passed was because one of the Senators was shipped to the hospital from the floor of the Senate.

[Streetdoc270]

6. but no word on Health Care for All Act....

so now we can get drunk and dream of winning the lottery while our bodies rot away from disease that we can't afford to get treatment for. :grr:

[Greylyn58]

7. Well it's about time

I'm tired of the of same old excuse for not passing the lottery--People will gamble!!

"Hey whack-jobs! THEY ARE ALREADY GAMBLING!!" Just not in NC. Their money is going to SC, TN, VA, KY... Thank you for finally passing it. We need that money here.

[Jamastiene]

12. Couldn't agree with you more. With the poverty in Richmond Couty and the

surrounding areas (other than in Moore), it will be the only chance some of us get to get out of the doldrums. I will <b>responsibly,</b> buy one lottery ticket a week. To those who are against the lottery because they think poor people just don't know how to budget, just think about the opportunities you take for granted. In some areas, the opportunities to earn enough money to save and invest just are not there.

[gil ace]

8. There was more support for that lottery than meets the eye.

They would not have been able to vote on it again if the majority did not vote to have the bill reread. Check this out they voted 28-20 to bring the lottery up for a vote again then they voted 24-24 for the tie to be broken by the lt gov. and she did. So you see in my opinion the four so called Democrats that voted to have it reread then they voted against the lottery new it would be passed they just did not want there name attached to it. A lot of your Democrats in NC are just Republicans in sheep's clothing trying to pick up the Democrat vote. And then they turn around and push the Republican candidate vote for federal offices. . And this is the reason people are brainwashed in parts of our grand state until these republicans in sheep's clothing are exposed it will always be that way mine is Mr Charlie Albertson. Voted to have the bill reread so he could vote against it like he did last week . Now if you did not want the bill passed why would you do that it had already been voted down. If I am
wrong please let me Know.

[patricia92243]

9. Since states are getting less and less Federal monies, they are having to

resort to lotteries to generate revenue. I think it's disgraceful. Mostly poor people that can't afford to, play the lotteries and lose the little bit of money they do have. Just another way to exploit the poor. IMHO

[gil ace]

10. yes before the lottery started poor people saved there money responsibly.

[gil ace]

This is a legal lottery

poor people always have had access to illegal lotteries for decades at least education can benefit from this one

[gil ace]

11. This is a legal lottery

poor people always have had access to illegal lotteries for decades at least education can benefit from this one