Bentley is calling a special session to introduce a LOTTERY bill. Did not see this

Clubfitter said:

Not familiar with how the House works.

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http://yellowhammernews.com/politic...=jody.otts@protective.com&bt_ts=1471991081139

House rules stipulate that committee meetings must be advertised at least 24 hours in advance, unless four-fifths of the House votes to suspend the rules and allow a meeting to happen on shorter notice. Realizing that the committee meeting time on the lottery was not advertised in advance, a group of House members banded together and did not allow the rules to be suspended, thereby making it impossible for any proposal to pass by the Wednesday deadline.

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As an educator, I do believe that the way the state house treats the education budget is shameful. They took millions out of it a few years ago to balance the budget, but never restored that money. Anyone who truly believed that this lottery was going to be earmarked for education is lying to themselves.

There needs to be a general fund, and a separate education fund with rules stipulating that money in education fund is for educational purposes only.

One jackpot would cover the cost of the special election.

I'm just sayin'...

TIDE-HSV said:

More than, really. It's just a transparent tactic by the religious fringe to keep the people from voting in something they consider sinful...

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There are some out there, like myself, who don't consider a lottery sinful in biblical terms but nonetheless don't want one in Alabama. I personally don't consider a lottery a desirable societal construct.

Tide1986 said:

There are some out there, like myself, who don't consider a lottery sinful in biblical terms but nonetheless don't want one in Alabama. I personally don't consider a lottery a desirable societal construct.

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what dat is?

I am not 100% against it, but I also oppose it on non-religious reasons. I would have to see the actual proposal before I said yes or no. I share the fear the revenue will go into a black hole and will accomplish nothing but separating fools from their money.

I think meaningful tax reform would be a better way to help the state's budget. But that isn't going to happen so we get feel good band-aids like the lottery.


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Tide1986 said:

There are some out there, like myself, who don't consider a lottery sinful in biblical terms but nonetheless don't want one in Alabama. I personally don't consider a lottery a desirable societal construct.

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TIDE-HSV said:

I understand that and the arguments behind it completely. I myself am ambivalent and I probably wouldn't be in favor if we weren't surrounded by states with legalized gambling. Living in a border county, I see the millions of Alabama dollars bleeding out to support the surrounding states' budgets. However, whether you face it or not, you are a fringe of a fringe in only opposing a lottery on non-religious grounds. I'd guess 95% of the people in this state who oppose a lottery are doing it on religious grounds alone and are listening to their pastors. In any event, the people of this state deserve the right to vote on the issue and I stand by my statement that the representatives blocking such are doing it on religious grounds and what they perceive the religious feelings of their constituents to be. To say that it's not a religious issue in this state is sticking your head in the sand. To resent government telling voters what their religious feelings should be about legalized gambling is only one small part of why I'm voting for Johnson...

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I don't doubt that a meaningful percentage of the opposition is religious in some way. Nevertheless, churchgoers have as much right to shape the types of communities they want to live in as the next person. As many on the left have reminded us from time to time when in the minority, our system of government is not one of pure majority rule so I am not moved by the idea that Alabamians deserve to vote on this matter. It really is the beauty of our state system when it's not bastardized by the federal government: those who find a lottery of vital importance to their daily lives can simply move a few miles in any direction and live in a community they find more desirable.

TIDE-HSV said:

Just "WOW!" What other things do you think the people should be prevented from voting on by a corrupt legislature? I was being kind in assigning it strictly to religious grounds. A large number of them have been bought and paid for by existing gaming interests, but I guess that doesn't bother you either...

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I don't think that the people should be forever barred from voting on a lottery. The process is not designed (in Alabama at least) for every whim of the people to be brought to a statewide vote. I do assume that at some point, possibly quite soon, there will be sufficient political will to bring the lottery issue to a statewide vote again. And maybe the voters will reject it once again. And maybe they won't.

TIDE-HSV said:

BTW, this is not a "left/right" issue at all. It is, however, a libertarian issue...

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I never considered it a left/right issue even though I referenced the left in bringing up minority rights and the tyranny of the majority.

A state-run lottery is not a libertarian concept in my opinion. A private lottery that runs purely on voluntary association would be. In my opinion, having a lottery that is run by the state and with state revenue and expenses depending on the lottery defeats the idea of voluntary association even if one never buys a ticket.

TIDE-HSV said:

Glad to see you reverse field. Trump also, for that matter...

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I have been consistent in my opinion over time. I have not reversed field. However, I do agree that you may now better understand my position after further discussion.

Excuse me for being late to the party, but did the state ever legalize bingo?? I seriously don't know??

I live in Swearengin Alabama north of the Tennessee river near Scottsboro on a hill we call Gunter mountain. Pretty much the middle hole of the Bible Belt!! I was born in Guntersville in 1962 and have lived my whole life here in Marshall county.

I am still waiting on Marshall county to go wet even though a beer store is only 3 miles from me at the bottom of the mountain in Scottsboro city limits in Jackson county, which by the way is dry also!!!

One of my fondest memories, stories, I like telling about living here was back in the fall of 1981 and the upcoming wet/dry referendum vote for Marshal county. Back then we had to go to New Hope, Madison county, to get beer, didn't sell the hard stuff anywhere but the ABC state store back then and that was in Huntsville. So it was beer, pretzels, fried pork skins, pickled eggs, pickled pigs feet or go to Huntsville!!!

To get the hard stuff without driving to Huntsville, 65-70 something miles there and back, you had to go to Niggs!! Nigg Martin's house living close to the rock crusher in Claysville, or some other bootlegger on the mountain. Won't waste your time telling you their names as the story is about Nigg lol!!!

I was fresh out of high school and seeing this blonde gal that lived with her sister in a house trailer in Claysville, (north across the Guntersville river bridge), during that time and was there with her when the mail run one afternoon, a week or so before the vote day. My girlfriend asked if I would go get the mail for her so I retrieved the mail. On the way back to the house I seen Nigg's picture on the front page of a Southern Baptist news letter and that intrigued me enough to see what it was about. My favorite bootlegger a couple miles down the road is on the front page of a Southern Baptist news letter lol!!! I reckon that was the first and last time I ever read anything from that news letter lol!!!

Oh how I wish I had of kept that news letter now!! Nigg wrote about the evils of alcohol like no preacher could equal!! It was passionate, God fearing like he had never sold me and my buddies more pints of whiskey than a Red Cross blood drive collects in a year!!

It was a touching letter he wrote to that Southern Baptist news letter I am here to tell you!!! I had to go see him right then I was so touched lol!!!