Michigan Lottery Bill Would Block Welfare Recipients From Winning Big Prizes

[Purveyor]

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan legislature is considering a proposal that would limit the amount of lottery prize money residents who get welfare, Medicaid or food stamps could win to more than $600, the Lottery Post reports. The bill stipulates that any money over $600 won by such a person would be funneled into the state School Aid Fund, which receives any unclaimed lottery money.

State Reps. Tom McMillin, Jim Stamas, David Agema and Pete Lund sponsored the bill. “The lottery is a bad gamble for a lot of people,” said McMillin, who introduced the bill. “Some people play it for recreation. One too many times, I saw people standing in line who appeared to be poor and they were buying tons of lottery tickets.”

Some retailers support the bill. Najib Kakos, owner of Buscemi’s/Beverage Barrel, sells lottery tickets, but said he’s in favor of the bill. “We have family members that own businesses in the Detroit area, primarily in really poor neighborhoods,” he said. “Their lottery sales are unbelievable compared to ours. If you’re barely making it, you shouldn't be gambling. … The money should be used for food and shelter. It doesn't matter if it hurts our sales — it's about doing what's right.”

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http://www.nacsonline.com/NACS/News/Daily/Pages/ND1025101.aspx

[hobbit709]

1. Screw that. Damn Morality Police types!

[DCKit]

2. Why discriminate? Ban the state lotteries. n/t

[nofurylike]

27. exactly! nt

[depakid]

49. That's how you'd have to do it- through through federal preemption

States have basically become racketeers running numbers games and preying on the poor and the innumerate.

[bindelh]

3. So they want to keep them on Welfare then ??

If they win $10 million then they can at least get off of welfare etc for awhile until the money runs out maybe even move out of town.. heh heh heh.

This legislation is 'Stupidity Personified'.

"businesses in the Detroit area, primarily in really poor neighborhoods,” he said. “Their lottery sales are unbelievable compared to ours. "

They just don't get it do they...

[DJ13]

5. +1

It seems pretty obvious.

[Historic NY]

4. A dollar & a dream,

[Kdillard]

6. Smart. Cut into the profits of businesses operating in poor neighborhoods

and cost poor people any hope or shot to have what they advertise as a dollar and a dream. Exactly who did they think they were appealing to with that slogan?

[depakid]

50. Did you read the comment by the small business person?

This may be a lousy policy solution, but the problem and the adverse consequences to individuals and society are very real.

[EC]

7. The lottery could be the only dream and hope

many people have left...and they want to take that too...

[KingFlorez]

8. Talk about a pointless and unfair law

I looked up the Michigan State House site, all of the bill's sponsor's are Republicans. They just want to hurt poor people anyway they can.

[eShirl]

9. the lottery is already a tax on the poor, now they want to tax most of the winnings too

[safeinOhio]

10. I have lived in Detroit

and I'm willing to bet the bookies support this bill.

[caraher]

33. No doubt

This would make your neighborhood numbers racket considerably more honest, fair and attractive than the state lottery

[Lord Magus]

11. "If you’re barely making it, you shouldn't be gambling."?

If somebody wants to waste their money, it's their money. It's not like they're Wall Street bankers, who gamble with other people's money.

[DBoon]

14. Why should the poor be the only group not allowed to gamble?

Everyone else seems to make it the national pastime in one way or another

[Blasphemer]

54. Exactly. It's not just welfare recipients wasting their money gambling

I would wager (no pun intended) that most folks who end up with gambling addictions are not poor.

[customerserviceguy]

22. Whose money is it, really?

It's given to people to have a decent meal, or a roof over their heads. It's not given to them to play a losing game with.

[The Straight Story]

56. When the money leaves yuor hands to theirs, it is theirs. Period. (nt)

[MadMaddie]

48. Isn't if ironic that the same folks who keep screaming

about big government are the very ones trying to make big government decisions to take free will from Americans.

[handmade34]

12. disgusting proposal

ending the lottery and funding education upfront would be refreshing

[mrcheerful]

13. At the same time these ass clowns push for more SS funds to be used to gamble on

Wall Street and the stock market, according to ass clowns everywhere stocks are not a gamble but an "investment" where everyone is a winner except that guy who put his retirement in the stock market and got screwed, but that was his fault for putting his money in the stock market, ok my heads spinning.

[raccoon]

34. Right on! nt

[Hawkowl]

41. +1000 .nt.

[Bitwit1234]

15. So spending a dollar and hitting millions to bring them out

of poverty should be against the law. I guess they want to be sure the keep the poor - poor.

[Ineeda]

16. So they're saying that

the people who buy the most number of lottery tickets and, let's face it, have the least chance of becoming wealthy or even out of the hole by any other legal means, should have the least chance of winning "the big one"? Disgusting a-hole rethugs. (BTW, I'm not a big fan of lotteries.)

[LiberalFighter]

17. How does one know a person is on welfare by just looking at them?

[customerserviceguy]

21. Oh, you can buy the ticket

but when you go to redeem, they cross-reference your name and SSN against the welfare database. Sounds like a good idea to me, those lottery dollars from poor folks should be spent on things like nutritious food.

[Moostache]

39. NO, NO, NO....a thousand times NO!!!

The government does not need to get involved in people's lives down to the dollars that they are spending and requiring a budget or a complete accounting of every dollar of public aid!!! The purpose of public assistance is to keep people from turning to crime and to keep lost productivity and wages still circulating in the economy to alleviate the impact on the rest of the community - it is NOT a "gift" or a conditional program to be spent how one segment of the population believes it should be spent!

Christ almighty!!! This is a horrific idea on ANY level.

I cannot believe that any Repuke could support this kind of Big Government intervention (well...then again, if the campaign shows us anything this year its that "small" government for Republicans really only means small intrusions for rich white people and far more intrusions for everyone else); nor can I believe that any Dem's would support such a blatantly and inherently racist proposal either.

I 100% believe that this bill is conceived with the idea that some white guy's constituents would find it distasteful for those undeserving "colored people" to win the lottery when EVERYONE 'knows' that only white people not on any form of public assistance and consistently attending the right kind of Evangelical Christian church have any right to that money anyway...

[customerserviceguy]

43. When you ask the government for assistance

You ask them to get involved in your life, which you obviously need some help with. If part of that help is taking away your delusions that "your ship will come in", then so be it.

[bluestateguy]

18. Stupid

If the state of Michigan really wants to show their so called "concern" for the poor, their resources would be better invested in helping the poor to make better decisions about gambling. Like maybe a gentle conversation about the futility of buying lottery tickets in the vain hope of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

A law banning legal Michigan citizens from winning a contest that taxpayers pay for would never survive constitutional review by the courts anyway.

[Colobo]

19. They really don't have anything else to do, huh?

[customerserviceguy]

20. The lottery is a tax on people who can't do math

If you don't have enough money to care for yourself, you don't have money to piss away on the lottery.

[littlewolf]

24. that is my favorite saying ... lottery is for ppl who cant do math ...

however I don't understand the restructions... now if
you are behind on child support ... or other court ordered
payments ... I understand that that gets paid 1st .....

[customerserviceguy]

30. If you're on the public's dime

Then you're admitting that you don't have the resources to care for yourself, and you're asking other people to look out for you. The state lotteries are not an investment strategy, they're designed to return large amounts of dough to the states, even more than a Las Vegas or Atlantic City casino, proportionally. They're a way to fleece people of means, who are taking care of themselves.

[rasputin1952]

23. So let's say a poor person lucks out and wins a $million...

After taxes, (some of which go to schools), a person is left with nothing?

Why even play the damn thing, just everyone stop buying tickets...no cash for the state and tough crap!

[sakabatou]

25. That's unfair

[hayu_lol]

26. Time for a 'mob' to move back in and...

start running numbers again.

[sakabatou]

42. So where do you get that from my post?

Hmmm, then again, maybe they shouldn't be able to.

[The Second Stone]

28. Bill of Attainder

The lottery itself is a tax on the poor and undereducated and it screws them enough as it is. Why not just tax all banker bonuses that are over $600 as unnecessary to retention, as no other bank can give it out without taxing it?

[My Good Babushka]

29. What if you got the tickets as a present?

Like in a birthday or Christmas card? Can you still not win your prize? This stinks.

[MadHound]

31. Many ways around that,

If you're poor and win in MI, create a trust and have the trust claim the prize.

[Vinca]

32. So that makes sense. Someone who needs the money won't be allowed to have it?

Maybe they should require the poor to wear a scarlet "L" (loser) on their clothing so any assistance above and beyond the bare necessities can be avoided. Jeeez. The lottery isn't the wisest way to spend a buck, but this is ridiculous.

[LiberalFighter]

35. There are some simple loopholes.

Immediately after winning the lottery, terminate any welfare benefits and move across the border. Once they have a receipt for payment of rent they could then file to collect the winnings.

I'm sure there are other ways.

[eShirl]

36. next they will restrict food stamps to cover only bread and water

[BlueIris]

37. No kidding. nt

[Lyric]

44. Change that to "Bread, salad, and beans" and half of DU will cheer for it.

Fucking sick.

[Recursion]

38. Lotteries are a tax on poor math skills

But I hate showboating bills like this.

[PBS Poll-435]

40. I know an elderly couple that play the lottery every Saturday.

They are not rich, but comfortable. They play 5 dollars every week. They know that they will never win, but they get to discuss grandchildren's birthdays, anniversaries, and other memorable dates. They play not because they plan to "get rich" from the Texas Lottery, but because it gives them something to do together.

[Lyric]

45. And what if someone else buys you a ticket?

Say, as a Christmas gift. Do they confiscate the money then, too?

:eyes:

[Lyric]

46. The lottery is the last--the very LAST--way for poor people to move into the wealthy bracket.

Social and financial mobility is dead, save for the scant handful who win the lottery now and then.

This will effectively kill any and all possibility for a poor person to become rich. Ever.

But there are people here who will defend it because they think that those nasty people on "government assistance" don't deserve things like privacy and autonomy. I guess freedom really IS only for the rich.

:eyes:

[MadMaddie]

47. That's bullshit!

So another way to keep the poor underfoot. Maybe that's one poor individual who is off of assistance.

So the retailers not in those neighborhoods are supporting the bill? Why? They aren't having winners in their stores and they are not getting a cut of the pie.

[ProSense]

51. Wow, this takes moronic to a new level.

So the solution to poverty is to limit the winnings of the poor so they can continue to receive Medicaid and food stamps?

Interesting that a Republican would propose this on top the Republican agenda to kill unemployment and every other social aid.

So when the snatch the winnings of the poor and cut all social aid, what happens then?

Is that when they start to put people in prison-like institutions for being poor?

[political_Dem]

52. Stupid ass, hateful law. :(

This legislation is classist and racist at the same time. It's no secret why the Republicans want this law to pass. They want to keep a feudalistic system in which the serfs bow down and work for the Lord. There's no servitude or equality if the serfs finally find a gold mine.

[JVS]

53. More incentive to play the illegal lottos run by organized crime.

[mstinamotorcity]

55. It won't work

There are too many retailers who sell these tickets. That would cut sales in half. This would only force the racket back underground. The whole sole purpose for bringing the lottery out of the dark. This will have thousands of tax dollars unaccounted for. The whole point is to get to a point where they can figure on how to get the money or part of it from welfare recipients. Yes they want to keep them poor. But that won't do it. If you cut lottery sale you cut revenue. Something our state will not give up. Or any other state that has the lottery. Dollar and a dream.

[Old Troop]

57. OK, let me see of I understand this. Welfare recipients are bad, but we want them

to stay that way.

[Kweli4Real]

58. Regardless of whether "buy the lottry dream" is ...

good, or wise, or bad or dumb ... is this another example of wanting small government?

I wonder ...

Sure, someone/anyone can find something better to do with that dollar; but what if the "winner" had only been receiving benefits for a year, or any amount of time, where their receipts was less than their winning, how is the limit fair, right or proper?.

[awoke_in_2003]

59. WTF is wrong with this...

stupid-headed country? It just gets more and more insane.

[golfguru]

60. This is good news

for the hundreds of thousands of people receiving financial
assistance. Instead of wasting money on a lottery ticket with
chance of winning much less than getting hit by lightening.

Surely a few, actually very very few who win are sucking food
and milk money from the other poor people for a FALSE hope.
Winning odds of 1 in 8 million is a false hope. Use the money
to buy some healthy food instead.

Just as imposing high taxes on cigarettes is a good thing,
discouraging people on welfare from wasting money on lottery
is also a good thing FOR 99.99% of them.

[DemocraticPilgrim]

61. That's illogical the prize is drawn from a pot everyone puts into status should have no bearing...

Also MI is going through hard times who wins then ??? That is one crumby lottery, who else buys a lottery ticket the rich???