Illinois Governor to teach children, gambling pays!
Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday proposed selling or leasing the state lottery to raise $10 billion to fund education.The plan by the Democrat, who is running for re-election, would help pay for everything from school construction to personnel. It won't be considered until the fall legislative session, after November's election. "This education plan is historic, it's ambitious and it will fundamentally change the way we fund schools," Blagojevich said at a
school on Chicago's South Side.
The plan calls for $4 billion from any lottery deal to be funneled to schools over four years. The remaining $6 billion would be put into a long-term annuity to help fund schools through 2025. After that, the state would have to find a new source, said Deputy Gov. Bradley Tusk.
Yes, by all means, let us educate our children in the wisdom of gambling to solve all their financial needs. Absurd, on its face. This is how America continues to go downhill. Short term easy political fixes with huge long term consequences for decades or generations to come.
Comments
This just fits in with all the states that "cashed out" their portion of the tobacco settlement and never used all, or even most for the purpose claimed - repay medical expenses.
Posted by: Tracy Coyle | May 26, 2006 4:03 PM
Tracy, thank you. You hit on an issue still seethes within me. The moral and ethical obligation of our politicians was to use that money for those injured by smoking and to assist smokers in quitting.
It is hard to find any of that money that went to the latter cause, and only perhaps 20% to the former. This was a clear abuse of power of office and the public's treasury.
Posted by: David R. Remer | May 26, 2006 6:47 PM
As someone who's tried to quit smoking countless times, there really doesn't seem to be a whole lot of help out there. Wisconsin has put some of that money to the proper use, but they only offer the same few methods that haven't ever worked for me in the past, with a few "creative" alternatives (Is sucking on a lollipop really all that different from chewing gum?). And then, if you reveal you have a history of depression and an attempt to quit smoking brings on a depressive episode and all you hear is, "Well, if you have a history of depression then it's nearly impossible for you to quit, statistically speaking." Why bother trying any more?
And to think my brilliant idea to create affordable rehab facillities for smokers was shot down.
Posted by: Stephanie Crist | May 28, 2006 2:22 AM