dreaming

 The mega millions has reached over a billion dollars. The odds of winning are about one in 300 million. Still, there is a chance. I will purchase two tickets. One for myself and one for my wife. It's four dollars of fun. It's fun to dream of what you would do with that much money. I confess my first thoughts aren't about helping the unfortunate, saving humanity, or the planet. No, I have lots of selfish thoughts about what I would like to do. None of them involve giving any of that money away. If my ticket were to win, I already know I have to give half to my wife. That's the way that works. 

 It's an amazing thing if you really think about it. A billion dollars up for grabs. What that means is the lottery has taken in a great deal more than that. The lottery is conducted for a profit. No big winner in twenty-four drawings. The last time it reached over a billion was back in July. The population of the United States is about three hundred thirty-one million. That means this current jackpot could put three dollars into the hands of every single person in the country! 

 It's something I have talked about in the past, something I considered. What if there was a government sponsored lottery on a national level. Participation would be voluntary, can't impose gambling on someone against their will you know, could be offensive to them. But if you choose to play one dollar would be withheld from your paycheck, you have to have a job to play, that goes into the kitty. Currently there about 157 million people working. So, the government takes in 157 million dollars a week. That six hundred and twenty-eight million a month. Now, based on your social security number a winner is chosen monthly. The payout is one million dollars tax free. The government makes a profit of six hundred and twenty-seven million dollars a month or seven billion five hundred and twenty-four million a year! That money is applied directly to the national debt, by law. Your odds of winning are better than the mega-millions and the winnings are tax free. Hey, you're going to work anyway right, what's a buck. Go ahead take an extra dollar. 

 Of course, I realize a million ain't what it used to be but a pretty tidy sum, nonetheless. The government could decide to increase that amount to two dollars and double the prize to two million tax free. It would also pay down that national debt a bit faster as well. Every state in the union has a lottery of some type, most several lotteries, scratch off tickets and other forms of gambling. Why shouldn't the feds get a piece of the action? You would have to be vigilant about it though. Social Security was promised to be tax free as well. It was until 1984. That was just thirty-nine years ago, and we all accept that without question. Yes, it was Ronald Reagen that signed certain amendments into law enabling SS to be taxed at a rate of 50% under certain circumstances. In 1993 that was increased to 85% with Al Gore casting the deciding vote. Joe Biden also voted as VP to increase that rate of taxation. Those increases are supposed to fund the trust fund the money comes from to pay beneficiaries. With this taxation the program turned into a shell game! The same is happening with every lottery, gambling and legal betting going on today. Only difference being, profits are promised for the "children" for "education" and "social programs." Not much of the profit makes it into those programs however, administration costs you know.

 Well, I'll be purchasing my chances and dreaming about spending all that cash. My intention is to simply buy what I want, when I want it. I have no thoughts of investing it and placing any of it in a trust fund. No, none of that. I'm also not interested in hearing from any financial advisors about investing my money. If those guys were so smart, they wouldn't be working! Like those stockbrokers. Why aren't they all wealthy? The expenditure of those funds will be entirely at my discretion! Well, I'll have to ask the wife first, but you know what I mean. I know it is outdated, an old-fashioned thing now, but I have always wanted one of those big checkbooks. You know the type, the ones you open like a book on your big oak desk. Just open her up and fill out the amount, any amount. Carefully removing it from that book it gets handed to a grateful person anxiously waiting for that payment. There you go my good man; I'll have my assistant get in touch with you if I require your services again. The butler will show you out.