BCT Editorial – 8/3/06

This page was last updated on August 3, 2006.

Safe bet; Editorial; Beaver County Times; August 3, 2006.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject editorial.

“For a state that had so many people talking about how hard it is to live on a fixed income, there sure is a lot of disposable income floating around Pennsylvania.

“Gov. Ed Rendell announced on Monday that Pennsylvania Lottery sales for the 2005-06 fiscal year reached a record $3.07 billion.

“In all, sales grew by $425 million, the largest dollar increase in the lottery’s 34-year history, leaving the agency with a $400 million surplus.

“Think about this. Gasoline prices have skyrocketed in the last year. People complain constantly about high taxes, especially school district property tax levies. Utility costs are increasing, and so is the cost of food.

“Yet hard-pressed Pennsylvanians living on limited means were able to dig deep into their wallets to set a record for betting on state lottery games.

“That speaks volumes about gambling and human nature, doesn’t it?”

[RWC] My only comment is to point out the drive-by assertion that “hard-pressed Pennsylvanians living on limited means were able to dig deep into their wallets to set a record for betting on state lottery games.” I don’t know if the assertion is true or not, and I probably don’t care. What I do care about is the editorial author never told us from where he got this data.