Foo - Powerball Buyers Paying Stupid Tax

I am greatful for the Powerball lottery. It reminds us of how stupid the average Amercian conumer is. Even though the odds were like one in 175 million people were driving sometimes as much as 5 hours to cross state lines and buy tickets.

I saw countless news broadcasts where they interviewed toothless people telling what they were going to spend the money on. How bout a set of freakin' teeth?

Go away.

lmao. Ranger - its not called stupidity - its called having hope when all else says they can't .

Why the avatar change mirona?

Um... though I consider myself a better-than-average 'conumer', I bought a few tickets (walked to the store - not a five-hour trip). Yes, I know that the odds of winning are only slightly better than getting hit by lightning eight times (though the feeling is probably much different). It was fun to play, and fun to think about what I was going to do with all the money (after taxes and lawyers).

And maybe there shouldn't be a lottery. Maybe it is a voluntary tax on stupid people. Maybe they just don't get it.

Imagine how crappy your life must be if you felt the need to drive five hours to purchase lottery tickets just for the chance to get out of it. Imagine that. And be glad it isn't.

And on the flip-side I kind of envy people that can do that.

I cant remember the stats correctly but I think I heard that some 80% of people who win big money jackpots claim that they are actually less happy now then before. I mean if you really think deeply about it, would you want to even win all that money? If so then say good by to all your friends and be prepared for a life of loneliness.

I know the odds are astronomical, but SOMEBODY wins it. I play maybe once or twice a year, whenever it gets super-huge, and I've got all my teeth. No cavities, even. Even my wisdom teeth grew in straight.

My beef isn't with buying a couple lottery tickets. My beef is with the people that use the Powerball as their financial plan in life. They do all sorts of stupid things with their money and say, "well, when I win the lottery, I'm gonna..."

Sort of like the people that justify going deeply into debt. You've all heard them say..."Well, you can't take it with you. I am going to LIVE while I am here." Meanwhile most of them live far longer than they expect and end up on Social Security with no retirement plan.

While their counterparts that socked money away and invested it all these years. Those people are busy touring the country in their 80 foot RV while the "can't take it with you" crowd is still working at Walmart trying to make ends meet.

I cant remember the stats correctly but I think I heard that some 80% of people who win big money jackpots claim that they are actually less happy now then before. I mean if you really think deeply about it, would you want to even win all that money? If so then say good by to all your friends and be prepared for a life of loneliness.



HAHAHAHA sounds like a load of envious BS to me.

I could be perfectly happy with $340 million. I wouldn't live that much differently, I might not even tell people I won. People who aren't happy with $340 million weren't happy before, it's just that now they have enough money that they can sit back and really appreciate how unhappy they are.

Of course, I would have a bike for every day of the week, and 2 for Sundays...

Why the avatar change mirona?

What? You don't like the little red Radio Flyer "no brakes" speed machine? :) Some tell me to get a professional fit, but I flipped the stem and it seems okay. ;)

What? You don't like the little red Radio Flyer "no brakes" speed machine? :) Some tell me to get a professional fit, but I flipped the stem and it seems okay. ;)


what size cranks are you running? Is that shaft drive? I don't see a chain.

$340 million isn't all that great. I'm told the immediate cash payout option after taxes is only $110 million.

Yeah, $110 million is hardly even worth it.


I have a question - The lottery is funded by taxes, but you are still taxed a ridiculous amount for winning. Why? I mean, I understand WHY, I just think it's silly that basically states are giving the federal government millions of dollars for the ability to have a lottery.

what size cranks are you running? Is that shaft drive? I don't see a chain.

I think they're 22.5's. It does have a chain (with about 5 links :D )

I cant remember the stats correctly but I think I heard that some 80% of people who win big money jackpots claim that they are actually less happy now then before. I mean if you really think deeply about it, would you want to even win all that money? If so then say good by to all your friends and be prepared for a life of loneliness.

I almost bought a ticket this time, just for kicks. I've never done it before, but ultimately it was the absurdity of the odds rather than fear of money that stopped me. Of course, with 1/170 million odds and $340 million reward with half paid if you take it immediately, you could argue statistically that it has just reached the break even point.

I have pondered how my life would change if I were rich. I definitely wouldn't tell people and wouldn't live exhorbitantly. I don't know what I'd be able to do keep it from coming between me and my friends. For a while it bothered me that I would have no motivation to work and I'd just travel, explore, and never accomplish anything with my life, but then it occurred to me I could just start my own company doing whatever I wanted. That's exactly what Elon Musk, one of the co-founder's of Paypal, did when they sold it to Ebay for over $1 billion. Right now, he's trying to start his own aerospace company. He used the mobility his money afforded him to turn a passion into his job. That would be cool. It's just the friends issue that I could think of being a (very serious) drawback.

It helped me to not buy a ticket yesterday when i was on my mountain bike on a sandy road. I was thinking that I was like one grain of sand on that road and the odds of someone picking me if i were a grain of sand were very slim. So i skipped wasting the money on the ticket.

I mean if you really think deeply about it, would you want to even win all that money?

Why yes, I believe I would.

If you ever happen to find yourself in the poor section of a large city, that's called a ghetto, you'll notice an abundance of churches. Many of these churches have names with the words Hope, faith or Deliverance. You know, names like Church of Hope and Deliverance Evangelistic. That's because, for these people there is no hope. There is no education. There is no money. No rich mom or dad to buy them everything they ever wanted, or to pay for a college education to turn them into cynical snots who look down on people who aren't as fortunate as they are. Try this, work the soup line at the local shelter this weekend. By Monday you'll understand why people buy lottery tickets and you'll understand why some don't have teeth. Keep in touch, let us know how it goes.

I bet you wouldn't be pulling the "what are the odds card out" if you were the winnar. I'd love to have $110M USD sitting in my bank. Means I get to do the stuff I want to do all day and buy whatever the hell I want. damn that'd rock.

I'd start with buying the presidency then taking over another country, oh wait.

Go away.


+1

Humans even after so long still try to relate happiness to wealth or possessions. It is the same old song and dance if you’re not happy inside all the things in the world will not get you there. If you are happy having more money will not make a better life as your ok as you are. We see enough unhappy rich people to know that money does not fix anything. It just makes bigger problems or different problems. Being content with what you have is the only really true way to be happy.

Humans even after so long still try to relate happiness to wealth or possessions. It is the same old song and dance if you’re not happy inside all the things in the world will not get you there. If you are happy having more money will not make a better life as your ok as you are. We see enough unhappy rich people to know that money does not fix anything. It just makes bigger problems or different problems. Being content with what you have is the only really true way to be happy.
And all the money in the world can't buy a personality!

And all the money in the world can't buy a personality!
maybe if you went to a good head shrink?? (G)

It helped me to not buy a ticket yesterday when i was on my mountain bike on a sandy road. I was thinking that I was like one grain of sand on that road and the odds of someone picking me if i were a grain of sand were very slim. So i skipped wasting the money on the ticket.
But you even gave that grain of sand recognition! in the intensity of bicycling, a few dollars would never be missed. And if a few dollars would triple your odds of winning. why not give yourself the same chance as that grain of sand, that could have never been chosen?

Someone recently said that acquiring a lot of money suddenly makes you more of what you are. If you are a jerk, money will make you more of one. If you are compassionate, it will make you more so. BTW, divorce rates for lottery winners are 4 times higher than the national average.