I'm not happy with slots as a state revenue source, yet am unopposed to other "vice" taxes such as alcohol and tobacco, which I can't quite reconcile. OK, so authorizing slots is introducing (allowing) a vice industry expressly for the purpose of making money off it. I guess that tastes bad to me. I dunno.
This was a big issue when I was living in Wisconsin. There too, the revenue was supposed to go for education, but instead went to middle-class tax relief. Which when you think of all the poor people playing the lotto....
When I was in Minneapolis, I lived in a very poor area. It really bugged me to see all the billboards in my neighborhood advertising the lotto... and seeing all the poor people scrape their money together to buy tickets.
Vegas didn't bother me, though. Maybe it was seeing all the middle-class retired people gambling, instead of the poor.
Liv (who has the concept of "big" and "little" down and is fascinated by body parts) just pointed to my breast and said, "Big boobie." then to her own and said, "Little boobie!"
I nearly choked to death laughing.
One of my toddler charges, falling asleep on me, reached up and padded my boob and said "you have nice cushions." I about died holding my breath to keep from laughing.
Timelies all!
Back from OVFF. Had fun, heard lots of good music, and acquired a knit DNA double helix.
Although I wasn't a potentially aborted fetus, I spent many years thinking I was, and am still very pro-choice. I am sure there are also men in my situation.
The billboard in my poor neighborhood now advertise Ruinite and Geico, but man, I feel like the Lotto has really brainwashed a lot of people. I used to sell Lotto/scratch offs, and I can really not buy them now, because I saw so many people spend so much money... it made me sick. And the people who were spending $100 a week were not the people who could afford it, but those who the dream of the millions meant the most. I am not sure if the state run taxed "lotto" is better than numbers running.
We have one of those lotto initiatives on the ballot here, supposedly prompted by the desire to keep money in the state. But I suspect it would also drain a lot out of the pockets of people too poor to drive to Missouri or Tunica and gamble there.
All your toddlers sound adorable. Matilda is interspersing adorable with contrary; I just tried to get her to say "Barack Obama," and she said sternly, "No Bocka Mama!" and then cracked up. Then, oh so pleased with herself, she added, "No Fuckorama!"
I. Um. Huh.
OMG. Buffista kids are just cracking my shit up! This is better than the jokes in Reader's Digest.
