Potential Impact

The question begs to be asked: Can we actually have any meaningful impact on the state? There is no doubt in my mind that we can. Consider the following:

* If 20,000 people who would normally spend $2 per week on the lottery instead spend $1/week over the course of a year, that would keep over $1million from going to the politicians

* If 15,000 people who would normally spend $5 per week spend $2, that would keep $2.34million out of state officials' hands

* If 10,000 people who would normally spend $10 per week spend $4, that keeps $3.12million away

* If 5,000 people who normally spend $20 per week (we know you're out there!) instead spend $5, that keeps $3.9million away

All total, that is well over $10,000,000 that the politicians would have to live without. Sound like a lot of people to recruit? Not when you consider that California's population is nearing 37 million!

Of course, politicians will claim that the money is coming out of education, but indeed we will be forcing them to cut down the general fund budget to make certain education is fully funded. As stated in an earlier post, public education is too important to be funded only if and when people spend enough on the lottery. It should be a top priority, not an after thought.

Admittedly, even $10million may not seem like much when compared to the over $1.4billion profit the state pulls in from the lottery, per their website. [On a side note, check out the statistics on the site - that 34 cents on the dollar from lottery revenue goes towards schools, but 61% of that goes towards salaries NOT to the local classrooms.]

But, even going up against a beastly revenue such as that, I guarantee you that politicians will quickly notice if $10million is missing from their coffers. They will pay attention to the voters, just as they should have been doing all along.

And, of course, if that $10million goes towards canned goods for the hungry or other charitable donations, many others are bound to pay attention as well...and they are likely to follow suit.