Hmm? I guess you haven't been to Maryland lately...the governer's trying to turn us into the "Smoke-Free State". It's a little ridiculous, considering we've been growing tobacco here for 400 years.
Hmm? I guess you haven't been to Maryland lately...the governer's trying to turn us into the "Smoke-Free State". It's a little ridiculous, considering we've been growing tobacco here for 400 years.
Depends on how the proceeds from the lottery are earmarked. Here in GA, the state lottery funds HOPE scholarships for the children of state residents. Eligible students can attend state schools (UGA and GA Tech among them) almost for free. I think it's great.
Georgia's HOPE Scholarship
In September 1993, Georgia instituted a lottery-funded college scholarship for the purpose of "Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally" (HOPE). Since then, over $1.4 billion has been distributed to almost 600,000 students through the HOPE Scholarship, making it the largest state-financed, merit-based aid program in the US. President Clinton designated it as the model for the federal HOPE tuition tax credit, and over a dozen states have established similar versions of the scholarship program.
There are two separate components of the HOPE program, the merit-based scholarship and the HOPE Grant. Eligibility for the former depends on a student's high-school grade-point average, while the latter applies to non-degree programs at 2-year and less-than-2-year schools and has no merit requirements. An income cap of $66,000 was imposed in the first year of the program. The cap was raised to $100,000 the following year and eliminated entirely thereafter.
To qualify for the scholarship, an entering freshman must have graduated from an eligible Georgia high school since 1993 with at least a "B" (3.0 grade-point) average and be a Georgia resident. For HOPE Scholars in degree-granting public institutions, the program covers tuition, HOPE-approved mandatory fees and a book allowance. The value of the award is about $3500 for the 2000-01 academic year. HOPE Scholars in private, degree-granting institutions receive a standard award of $3000 per academic year toward tuition. To retain their scholarships, students must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average while in college.
In contrast, the HOPE Grant is essentially an entitlement. Qualification does not depend on high-school grade-point average. There are no restrictions based on when a student graduated from high school. Even students who graduated before 1993 are eligible as long as they meet the Georgia residency requirements. The grant covers tuition and HOPE-approved mandatory fees and students may receive it for all coursework required by the institution for a program of study leading to a certificate or diploma. Continued support under the grant is contingent on a student's satisfactory academic performance, which is determined by the individual institution.
The HOPE Scholarship is funded entirely by revenue from the Georgia lottery, administered by the Georgia Lottery Corporation. This corporation is legally required to allocate 51 percent of its revenues to players in winnings and 35 percent of its revenue to education. The remaining 14 percent is split between retailers and operating expenses.
Actually if you consider the lottery as a voluntary tax it's not a bad idea is it? And it's a way for the poor to contribute their fair share. You see it's just a matter of perspective.
Maybe to some degree, but I wouldn't say that it's all that big an issue here in GA since the state of education is pretty much in the crapper already(last in the nation in SAT scores as you may recall). If anything, the HOPE scholarships entice kids who are well beyond the minimum qualifications to stay in state when they would have otherwise gone elsewhere. As for the rest of them, I think it's almost a bigger issue just to get them to even finish high school....much less go on to college, so I just don't see there being that much pressure on the teacher to inflate grades.
One article I found on the subject.
Another one
A opposing view on the matter (PDF, sorry)
If you do a google search for "hope grade inflation georgia", you'll find innumerable articles and opinions.
i got an idea, why dont you mind your own business when it comes to people spending their own disposable income.
The government doesn't need to be in the business of taking people's money. Nowhere in the constitution does it say that people have a right to a government sponsered lottery. Now, if you want to argue that the government shouldn't restrict any form of gambling, that's a whole nother topic.
Maetryx
Diamond Member
- Jan 18, 2001
- 4,849
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I wonder if these faceless poor folks appreciate all the concern some of you guys have for them. I wonder if the witless want someone else to be an activist on their behalf and protect them from "wrong life lessons" that they may otherwise unwittingly learn from the existence of various government tax programs. I wonder who gets to decide who's smart enough to be the protector.
What self righteous elitist bullsh!t.
Lottery revenues can be used efficiently or not by politicians, just like any other tax. Only this one is voluntary. And I'm in favor of that.
What self righteous elitist bullsh!t.
Lottery revenues can be used efficiently or not by politicians, just like any other tax. Only this one is voluntary. And I'm in favor of that.
Hehe, I stepped right into that one. What I meant to say was that the government doesn't need to be in the business of taking money from those too stupid to realize that their chances of winning the lottery are very close to zero. Taxes are fair, you make this amount of money, you pay this percentage. The lottery, on the other hand, preys upon those with the least to lose. I'm all for personal responsibilty, but the state does not need to be in the business of duping people into handing over their money when, in most cases, they receive nothing in return.
Originally posted by: NFS4
What about the high tax people stupid enough to buy cigarettes endure?? The government takes their money, then all they receive in return is lung cancer, bad breath, and yellow teeth. How fair is that?
**No offense to you smokers out there**
On top ofthat, since they die about 5-7 years soon, they also get cheated out of big chunk of SS benefits.
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