I’m Disappointed

Somebody has all my money! Last week the multi-state Powerball Lotto was worth over $200 million and I didn’t win it. How can that possibly be? I was ready to retire, move to a small Caribbean Island and spend my days watching women in bikinis. I had even bought a tropical shirt in anticipation. Yet I didn’t win. Someone else won all my money.

Of course in all seriousness I didn’t really expect to win. The same can’t be said for all people though. After the announcement that one and only one person had won the grand prize, I witnessed an acquaintance literally trembling with excitement. She was so convinced that she had won that she just couldn’t contain herself. After all, the winning ticket had been sold in the same state that she purchased hers in. Unfortunately, her numbers were not the winning ones. They weren’t even second prize. She didn’t even win a free ticket. She was devastated. All her energy evaporated and it was back to her same old life.

Now there’s nothing wrong with playing the lotto. There’s nothing at all wrong with gambling in general. The problem lies with expectations. You’ve got to realize that even though someone will win, it probably isn’t going to be you. State lotteries are voluntary taxes. If you buy a ticket, you are willingly paying extra taxes. What are the definition taxes? They’re money collected by the government and used to fund various programs. Never mind that you might get something in return (think income tax return check), you are paying taxes whenever you buy a lottery ticket.

So quit planning your life around winning the lottery. When was the last time the government told anyone, “hey relax, we’ll let you live a life of luxury and we’ll even pick up the tab.”? Go ahead and keep buying lottery tickets. The more money you give, the more the government can spend. The more the government spends, the greater the odds that they’ll spend some of it wisely. Just quit planning your future around winning the lotto. It’s not going to happen. If you want a better life and a better future then work for it like the rest of us. It’s not going to be given to you just because you faithfully pay extra taxes.

If you’re disappointed, sad, or crushed after the weekly lotto results, don’t come looking for sympathy here. If you want your life to be better, you need to come up with a different plan. Somebody out there has your money too!

Date Added: 17-04-2006