Microeconomics Paper

Disturbing Facts About State Lotteries

http://www.alternet.org/hard-times-usa/disturbing-facts-about-state-lotteries-they-prey-poor-and-trash-economy-and-political?page=0%2C1&paging=off&current_page=1#bookmark

State Lottery Funds May Not Help Those Who Need it Most

http://diverseeducation.com/article/67490/

 1.  Comment on the content of the two articles.  Agree?  Disagree?

 2.  Consider:  How should government deal with people who make stupid choices?  Let them do it and suffer the consequences; discourage them from those choices; or encourage them to make stupid choices?   Which does the lottery do?

Arkansas Scholarship Lottery Commercial:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvvZwnJMaEQ

3.  Contrast the message in the Lottery advertisements with State funded efforts to promote financial literacy.  How would buying lottery tickets fit into that?

Schools, businesses tackle financial literacy in Arkansas

http://www.thecitywire.com/node/37164#.VYwn4_lVhBc

“Arkansas is in the basement in the ranking of knowledge and education and 47th in planning and daily habits.”….   Children, especially, may be learning money habits by observing parents.

“You are teaching children about money because they are watching you, even if you don’t say anything,” Foster said. “They observe positive or negative behavior.”

Through partnerships with CCOA, the Arkansas State Securities Department and Economics Arkansas, the workshops have been offered to students and adults, ….“We are providing resources people need to make the best informed decisions,” 

Economics Arkansas encourages teachers to develop programs to increase K-12 economic literacy and wise decision-making of Arkansas students in kindergarten through 12th grade. 

The research indicates the financially savvy tend to take on less credit card debt and pay balances off each month. They’re more likely to refinance a mortgage when it is profitable to do so, are less likely to fall prey to high-cost debt like payday loans and are more likely to plan for retirement.

4.  If it came up for a vote to keep or end the State Lottery, how would you vote?  why?

 Other:   President (then Senator) Obama on the lottery (1:47)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yrVihsdTVk