Hope for Arkansas: Who’s in?
After the Georgia-based band, The Whigs came through town for the second time this year, I was hooked. So hooked, in fact, that I spent a good portion of the following morning researching the band. After watching a few lackluster home videos on YouTube, I found an interview with them that forced my jaw to the ground.
The Whigs are very fortunate in the fact that they were signed to a record label on the same day they graduated from The University of Georgia. In the interview, they said it was great to go straight from college to touring the world, but when asked how they felt about having to pay back student loans from the road, the band seemed confused for a moment. It was that moment in which I realized I would be voting FOR the Hope for Arkansas amendment in November.
You see, in Georgia, going to college is free for anyone who can hold “B” average. And I don’t just mean the tuition, folks. Books are included in that as well. Now, take a brief moment to digest that piece of information while simultaneously calculating how many dozens of years’ worth of payments are left on your student loan.
I understand I could be alone in my amazement here. After all, I am certainly biased in the fact that I once tried to make a living playing music but the weight of student loan debt pulled me back into the 8-to-5 world. However, it’s gonna take a whole helluva lot more than the tired “poor people are irresponsible” excuse to convince me that I shouldn’t support a lottery in Arkansas.
Yesterday, Arvest Bank chairman, Jim Walton, contributed $75, 000 to help fight the lottery while former UAF Chancellor John White announced his endorsement of the amendment.
Where do you stand? Wanna take a stab at changing my mind?
Discussion
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By Total Bastard on September 17th, 2008
I’m against it.
Gambling is morally wrong, and I don’t want the whole state going to hell.
Hell will be full of Texans.
Trust me on this one.
By Squidge on September 17th, 2008
For it!
By Johnathan on September 17th, 2008
I like it. The lottery preys on stupid people who think they have a real chance of winning it to educate people who are probably too smart to play the lottery.
By Boggy Creek Creature on September 17th, 2008
For it! Heck, me and the missus signed people up for it.
Nobody’s holding a gun to the ticket buyers. These same people are crossing the state border to buy them from our neighbors every day. And you don’t want people crossing borders, do you?
Also, didn’t you watch Rosanne? It’s only a matter of time before you hit the lottery. Unless it’s a dream.
By George on September 17th, 2008
Guess I am for it. I hear all the noise that it’s a tax on poor people, but not sure I buy that. Sure a higher percent of poor people play the lotto. No shit! They need the money more. A high percent of people who buy Rogaine are bald. Besides, false hope is better than no hope.
Not to mention that late night drunken scratch off can be fun.
By jones on September 17th, 2008
For me, the good outweighs the bad. For it.
By Lankford on September 17th, 2008
For it! I’m one of those poor people that thinks he can win. My dream has always been to win the lottery without even buying a ticket, like by finding the winning ticket in a trash can at the BP station. I can’t wait to dig through the garbage.
By East Springdale Earl on September 17th, 2008
i personlly didnt go to collage and i wuld of tried to go to welding skool but they were all about afrimatve action there and there test was rigged so i didnt get akseptid, and i culd have used that money when the wife got nokked up.
lucky for me i got disablity for my gout just liek my daddy did. he nevar did rite by me or momma but all you can.
but i have given it some thoght and i gess Im what you culd call mixed on the ishue it all depinds on wether the skolerships are goin to be used by ilegal mecxians. dos anybody now?
if yes VOTE NOOOOOOOOO! they CAINT EVEN SPEEK ENGLISH!
no MEXCIAN SKOLERSHIPS! NOT NOW NOT EVAR!!!!!11 AND HOMASEKSUL TOO!
AMERICA LOVE IT LEVE IT!!!!!1
By jawikst on September 17th, 2008
Does this amendment include other kinds of gambling besides the lottery? From what I understand, that has been the big argument in the past on this one – that other kinds of gambling create crime and lottery amendments in the past always legalized casinos, etc.
I cannot find this out from the link provided (I checked it out, but I ran out of patience). Does anybody know?
I think sending students to college with a “B” average is wonderful and we should make that happen.
I also think that chocolate milkshakes from the new Chick Fil A on 6th street are wonderful.
By yrfuneralmytrial on September 17th, 2008
As a high school drop-out who is now paying back $50,000 worth of student loans that belong to my wife (obviously, she’s smarter than I), I’m all for it. Also, count me as one of many riding up to Macadoodles weekly to to buy powerball tickets and scratchers. Gambling is not a moral issue in my opinion. If you’re deginerate enough to gamble money you don’t have, chances are you’re pricking yourself and/or your family already in other ways. I like to gamble. It’s come to fruition. Anybody want to bet a tenner on it?
By Strokitecture on September 17th, 2008
Do it! free education trumps any moral BS argument hands down.
By Gerry on September 17th, 2008
I’m for it. And I play, a buck here or there. Odds are completely against me, so it is nothing more than a voluntary small tax that gives me an infinitesimally small chance of becoming fabulously wealthy.
By Total Bastard on September 17th, 2008
I think this will pass. Halter put it together in the right way to sell it to average bible thumping Arkansans.
I think its interesting this Family Council or whatever group pops up and nobody’s ever heard of them.
Kind of like when the casino vote happened and the Family Council or Concerned Citizens for Morality or whatever came about, and it turns out they were backed almost entirely by Mississippi casino interests.
Surely this will pass.
And….
Coody will remain. *phace*
Weed will get low priority treatment.
Midtown will get a Chick-Fil-A.
By Boggy Creek Creature on September 17th, 2008
TB- Weed can get all the treatment you like, but the feds can still fuck you.
You can look to Eureka for example. Ever since this same group had the same motion passed, the town’s reefer arrests have gone UP not down. This is not due to people being responsible, but morons that think you can stroll downtown with a joint hanging off your lip.
This passes and Dickson St. crackdowns are sure to be the one of the inevitable side effects. Vote however you want on Sensible Fayetteville, but nothing changes in D.C. Nothing happens but the Fayetteville prisons being choked with more morons.
By Johnathan on September 18th, 2008
See, that’s the problem: start talking about gambling, and it eventually leads to drugs.
I kid!
By Sardon on September 18th, 2008
Jawisk, there is always that slippery slope argument, well lampooned by Johnathan, that lottos lead to casinos and C rhymes with P and that stands for for pool, or drugs. C also rhymes with D. There is however, no hidden rider or anything in this lottery proposal to legalize anything else.
As far as the morality issue or protecting the stupid, baby, that ship has sailed. The immoral and the stupid live among us and can drive, or some even walk, to any bordering state and buy scratch offs to their heart’s content. We sure aren’t protecting anybody from gambling, we’re just forcing them to travel further and leave their money for other states to use to educate their people.
Now, who’s stupid?
By jawikst on September 18th, 2008
I just remember that being an argument in the past (like I said) and I couldn’t tell if that was part of the amendment. I didn’t actually make that argument. Just trying to get all of the info.
I like the Music Man as much as I like nuggets from the new Chick Fil A on 6th street.
By Sardon on September 18th, 2008
Jawikst, I wasn’t chiding you or thinking you believed that slippery slope bullshit, just setting the record straight.
Mang, don’t you love those awesome chicken nuggets from the MLK Chik-Fil-A?
By jawikst on September 19th, 2008
Yes! I do love them.
Thanks for letting me know what all was involved - now that argument doesn’t hold any water really, does it? I know I love going on down to Oaklawn and eating a ruben sandwich and betting on some horses. What’s the difference between that and a lottery (besides the odds being better)?
A polynesian sauce packet from the new Chick Fil A on 6th street just exploded in the silverware drawer here at my office (sounds made up, but isn’t). I am going to do my good deed for the day and clean it up.
By bloomin' onion on September 19th, 2008
There’s nothing better than picking up a cold Mountain Dew and a couple of scratch-off tickets. And you’re right, the old “poor people are irresponsible”, is an argument, excuse, or rationale that is as condescending as it is stupid.
By Ronnie on September 21st, 2008
Why not have a LOTTO here? Hells bells I burn at least $10.00 in gas every month running up to Macodoodles to buy a $20.00 Powerball ticket and cheep beer. Now just think, if we had a powerball I would be burning less gas which helps keep the planet green, my $20 would stay in this state, and I would go ahead and pay for more expensive beer here thus keeping that tax money in the state as well.
So how many other people out there a like me? It adds up fast folks. And I don’t buy the “poor people are stupid and will spend all their money on the lottery” argument. If that is true then they are already doing it, except they are going to Oklahoma or Missouri to do it. Now who is the dumbass?
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