DISQUS

ETBlogs Soapbox: Private bookie, bad; government bookie, good

  • Kathy Thompson · 2 years ago
    I think your math is a little off. If it is indeed $1M per week, that's equivalent to $52M per year, not $365M. That would be if it were $1M per day, which I seriously doubt. OK?
  • jacrlsn · 2 years ago
    Ms Thompsons comments are correct, which of course makes your comments all the more cogent.
  • Taylor Armerding · 2 years ago
    Thanks to Kathy. My math wasn't a little off. It was waaay off. Since corrected. But thanks to Jim, too. It does make the contrast between the criminal gambling we wring our hands about and the legal gambling the bookie state relentlessly promotes even more extreme.
  • George W. Bush · 2 years ago
    I think I'd like to hire you for my cabinet. You got the math skills to get the job done right.
  • Tom Delaney · 2 years ago
    Where does good government begin and where does it end? We knkow from James Madison that only an imperfect government can exist. Only GOD knows, certainly not this blogger. Keeping this in mind, I have to bring up an email sent to Taylor on 02/19/2007 regarding the subject "More government RIP-OFF/CA Lottery for children." Granted, this email was subject to copyright; however, Taylor could have asked me to reprint some of this dissertation unless it was taken out of context. Please allow me to quote a portion of this email.

    "NOW WE HAVE THE FINANCIAL FIGURES FOR FY 2005/2006. TOTAL MONEY COLLECTED FROM THE LOTTERY IN 21 YEARS..$49,931,981, 304. THAT'S ALMOST 50 BILLION DOLLARS! TOTAL MONEY PAID IN INTEREST..$357,939,150. THAT'S JUST SHY OF 358 MILLION. THAT COMPUTES TO 0.71%. HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!"

    Who do you trust? Your elected politicos or the Mafia? Mr. Carlson is correct in using the word "cogent." However it is high time for the American people to become "cogitative."