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Lottery vote is welcome news for our state
Tuesday’s vote by the state Senate to make North Carolina the nation’s 42nd state with a lottery is welcome – and long overdue. After all, this newspaper recommended such a move four years ago.
Our state is the largest and the only one on the East Coast without a numbers game. For too long we have watched revenue flow to surrounding states to help their educational programs while denying that support to our own children.
The state House narrowly passed a lottery bill earlier this session, and the issue had become contentious in the Senate. When legislators left Raleigh almost two weeks ago without voting on a lottery, it appeared to most observers the issue was dead for this year. That changed when Senate leader Marc Basnight called his members back to the capital city.
Five Democrats and all 21 Republicans in the chamber were opposed to the measure, apparently dooming it to fail by a 26-24 vote. This week’s change occurred because two GOP members, Henry Brown of Jacksonville and John Garwood of North Wilkesboro, did not attend the session. Brown was on his honeymoon, and Garwood was recovering at home from a medical condition.
Republican leaders have blasted Basnight and his Democratic colleagues for taking advantage of the absence of Brown and Garwood. The fact is both senators could have used a parliamentary procedure called “pairing” to cancel the votes of two lottery supporters, but they declined to do so. It’s clear to us both men were willing to have a state lottery. They just didn’t want to risk voting for the measure and face a possible challenge from a conservative in a GOP primary next year.
Their absence created a 24-24 tie, and allowed Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue to cast the deciding vote.
Legislators voting for the lottery should have nothing to fear in the general election. Polls have consistently shown support for a lottery running close to 70 percent across the state. As Basnight said, the will of the people was spoken Tuesday.
Lottery proceeds will be used to reduce class size in early grades as well as pay for pre-school programs, school construction and college scholarships.
If that’s not reason enough to support the measure, remember that’s it’s a voluntary tax. If you don’t play, you don’t pay.
We commend our local legislators – Rep. Phil Haire and Sen. John Snow – for supporting the lottery.
Scratch-off tickets could be available within six months. Good luck!
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