Just some thoughts and ideas going around in my head while trying to figure out where I am and where everyone else is going.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

A Tax on Stupidity



I remember years ago some old Italian guy telling me that he thought that the prize in the New Jersey Lottery was immoral. He said that the lottery was created to benefit the services provided for senior citizens and that for some young fellow to get 4 or 6 million dollars for buying a ticket just wasn’t right...yes that’s just how long ago it was. I don’t remember if I said anything back to him, but I do remember that I thought that the Lottery was just a tax on stupidity. I still think that now.

I’ll admit that I do do the group thing at work where everyone puts in a dollar and for the best. I mean I would hate to be the one that shows up for work while everyone else is down at the State House collecting their winnings, there would be nothing left for me but to go completely crazy if that happened. But the odds of us as a group or even individually actually hitting it is like some astronomical number to one. You would have to be an idiot to think we would have any real prospect of winning. We’d have a better chance of one of us becoming President of the United States …or would we?

You know I’ve heard for a long time the truism that everyone born in America could become President, I even heard Condie Rice say that her parents told her the same thing just the other week. Heck I’ve even heard some people born in Kenya could do it, but I’ll leave that to the "issues that other crazy people have" post.

However when I look back over the last 230 or 50 years since “We the People” was written, out of the millions of people who have ever lived, only 44 or 45 individuals have ever made it to POTUS and some of them from the same 2 or 3 families.  Now that’s a number that I have to believe is much smaller than number of multi-million dollar lottery winners from the past 2 or 3 decades. If that’s the case, then to run for President of the United States must be a fool’s errand since so few people will ever make it; which brings me to Mitt.

I think that I’m watching Mitt Romney’s campaign in a free fall without the benefit of flames to make even that interesting. True it wasn’t like Mr. Romney was the anointed one from the Republicans but more of the last man left standing. Never the less, I think Mitt might be better off putting his money elsewhere other than his campaign because this presidential thing doesn’t look like it’s going to pay off.  

 Maybe he can buy some lottery tickets because if nothing else the man knows how to make money.  And if he can’t make money there then maybe he’ll just consider it as a tax, a tax on stupidity for which, like most of his taxes, I’m not sure he hasn't paid his fair share of.


8 comments:

  1. I don't care how immoral a lottery jackpot is; if I win it I will winning take every single dime.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Me too Reggie, and not in that scheduled 20 year payout thing. I'm taking it all in one lump some so I can start spending it before that bus or tractor trailer hits me leaving me with the only benefit of a nice gravestone. But like they used to say in New York, "You've got to be in it to win it," so that dream will probably never happen.

      Delete
  2. I agree with you about the lottery for dollars. I bought a $1 ticket once; won $50, considered myself $49 ahead and haven't bought one since. As for Mitt: I just hope he continues on the slippery slope downward. His wife's concerns for his well-being deserve our sympathy: I understand her. I share the same for our country if he wins!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Roger, Mitt wants to be president because he wants to be president and no other reason. I think most people already see that and will stay away from him when it comes to their votes.

      Delete
  3. some old Italian guy? oh so he wasn't a old black guy? thats much better

    ReplyDelete
  4. I don't play the lottery, however, If I won it, I'd be VERY happy and buy me my own house for a change. I agree Mittens would just count his loss as a tax for being stupid...If he recognizes he's stupid

    ReplyDelete
  5. ♫Musique♫, Like they used to say in the New York State Lottery, "You have to be in it to win it."

    ReplyDelete

Did you like or dislike what you just read? Go ahead, tell me why. All comments are welcome here, good or bad let's both open up and discuss our differences or our similarities.

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Google Analytics Tracking Code