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Editorials - 03/22/01State needs lottery to improve education |
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Gov. Mike Easley recently presented North Carolina's legislators with a balanced bud-get that includes revenue from a state-run lottery to boost new education initiatives.
He's right to take this step. The Tar Heel state is the largest in the nation without a lottery. Of our adjoining states, Georgia and Virginia already sell lottery tickets, South Carolina approved a lottery last fall and Tennessee seems headed in that direction. North Carolinians are already buying lottery tickets in Georgia and Virginia. Our lawmakers cannot make the claim that they are protecting our citizens from gambling by refusing to institute a lottery. Where there's a will there's a way, and there seems to be ample evidence of the Tar Heel will to play the numbers game. If our state's citizens are determined to participate in high-stakes gambling, let's at least let them do it in their own back yards. If they're going to throw their hard-earned money away on lotto tickets, let's at least give them the opportunity to throw their money at their own state's children. In all likelihood state legislators will not vote to approve a lottery but only to allow the proposal to be put on the ballot for the voters to decide. When you get right down to it, a lottery is a much fairer way to raise revenue for the state's schoolchildren. It is the only tax that's truly optional. You don't have to play if you don't want to risk your money. It's that simple. Public opinion polls indicate some 60 percent of Tar Heel voters support a state-run lottery. Similar polls in Alabama proved incorrect when the votes were counted, and a lottery could fail here as well. Hurricane Floyd relief efforts and lost lawsuits have drained the state's coffers to the point that educational improvement will not be possible without a new source of revenue. The governor's solution is to offer the state's voters the option of choosing a lottery to refill the state's treasury. Legislators who do not support the measure should put their money where their mouth is and show tax increases and/or spending cuts they propose to pay for needed improvements. Until we see a better solution to the state's budget woes, we'll support a lottery.
Editorial policyThe opinions expressed on this page are those of the Sylva Herald Editorial Committee. Opinions are derived independently and owe no allegiance to any group, organization or political party. We welcome opposing views. |
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