If you receive a check from the government that is not a retirement check, you should not be able to receive these funds. Social security maybe excluded as well since we all have to pay into that our entire lives. Food stamps, welfare, etc should not receive one dime of any lotto earnings. Like I said, if my tax dollars have to help you with your living expenses, you should not be allowed to waste them on frivolous items like lotto tickets.

Lawmakers Debate Number Of Proposals

Posted: April 3, 2009 04:22 PM
Lawmakes Debate Number Of Proposals

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - State lawmakers have a number of proposals before them during this session that include capping lottery winnings for welfare recipients, a four-day school week and firearms.

For weeks the House has debated State Representative Johnny Shaw's bill that would let judges bear firearms.

"Bear firearms with the necessary training from the academy, that's what this bill ever was about," said Shaw.

Some lawmakers wanted to expand the bill to include state lawmakers. State Representative Henry Fincher argued that lawmakers could be endangered because of the public positions they take.

The bill passed without Fincher's amendment.

Lawmakers are also debating another issue whether lottery winnings should be capped if the person was on public assistance.

"One you shouldn't be playing the lottery," said State Representative Stacey Campfield.

Campfield pushed a bill that would cap winnings at $600 if a person was on public assistance.

"I hope these people actually save that money, instead of blowing it on lottery tickets, and actually do something with it, reinvest it in themselves, heaven forbid they actually buy their own children food," said Campfield.

The debate will continue on Campfield's bill next week.

Some lawmakers are getting behind a bill that would allow local school boards the chance to move to a four-day school week, if they want to.

"This bill purports to put that into the law," said State Representative Mark Maddox.

The thought was that the bill could save some school districts money in these tough times.

"Does it need to be used for emergency situations, where we have high costs, to be able to give boards the options to save money, if it actually does. This bill is really a discussion starter," said Maddox.

In Tennessee schools have to be in session at least 180 days. If the four-day school week went into effect the school year would lengthen.

State lawmakers will continue to look into these issues and several more in the next few weeks.

http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=10127639

Who are you to say this? Nobody. You cannot make decisions for other humans who have rights.

I am glad you will never be allowed to make these decisions because there will always be those like me WHO RESPECT OTHER HUMANS AND DO NOT THINK I AM BETTER THAN THEM!!!

A person can be working and still receive food stamps. A person can be on Social Security and still receive food stamps. I feel it's wrong for them to tell people that if they spend $1.00 on the lottery and win that the state can keep the money that goes over $600. This person can go off food stamps if they won the lottery.

The lottery money is supposed to go to the schools in Missouri. There's been a big stink about that though. We don't think much of it is going to the schools.

Doesn't the news cover it? They announce the big winner.

ok ok ok....andrew is giving his opinion like anyone else. we are entitled to give our opinions

anyway....to me...the indigent means homeless or very close to it...not someone working and receiving help

I feel that this will stigmatize poor people even more.

The State would lose lottery money then. But..if someone wins big, it would make up for the loss since that person can only keep $600 of it.

I never said I'm better than anyone else. I said that if you want me to pay for someone to live, those funds should only supplement what they can afford. Why should someone be allowed to piss away their paycheck while I pay their food and rent bills? how is that fair to me and anyone else paying for every single living expense on their own? This belief that everyone deserves every liberty while living off the backs of others is crap. They are limiting my liberties so they too should have their own limited.

Social Security is kind of a grey area. many pay into it their entire lives and there should not be limits on them but that is often not the case.

The facts are that a person is up against impossible odds for winning it big and coming off food stamps. Betterment of one's self should be the reason people climb out of poverty, not reckless gambling.

Does that mean that can't buy a soda or an ice cream either? Those aren't necessities. Does that mean that they shouldn't get a hair cut? Does that mean that they shouldn't have air conditioning. Where do we draw the line?

You say that food stamps, welfare, etc. should not receive one dime of any lotto earning? Are they criminals or something? If they won, they could go off of state aid.

Your little bit of taxes doesn't support even one person for a year so stop acting like you are a majority of contribution.

My taxes also go into the pool and if someone who is on any kind of assistance gets lucky enough to have the great American dream of getting rich by accident, more power to them. I think I am the majority in this situation because I do not think I am better than the poor in this country. So that might make me better than you....

Again who are you to pick who gets to do what in their lives???

I just don't get the pompous audacity of some people to think they have the right to tell others what to do in their lives.

I know 3 people that won big on the lottery.

Yes, betterment of one's self is good. Sometimes that isn't possible. People may have physical or mental problems. Why shouldn't they be allowed to be like everybody else and be able to buy a ticket?

Well...they are allowed to buy a ticket. They can just keep $600 of it and the state takes the rest. That is just horrible to me. It's punishing them. Just let them win and get off of welfare, food stamps, or whatever. Sheesh, they even included people on WIC.

This just screams hypocrisy. Am I not being told that my tax dollars are to help some person with their own living expenses? Am I not having my right to spend that income at my discretion being removed by being forced to pay the taxes that go to them? If you want to spend you money how you'd like, stop taking mine.

Poor people pay taxes too.

But they reap benefits I'm not eligible for and a large quantity of them receive funds from the government largely disproportional to what they pay. Hell, if you take the portion that goes to social programs, I'm sure nearly every one of them gets more in social funds than they put into the program.

Okay let me give you an example of how ludicrous you sound. You spend 2 dollars at the convenience store for a bag of chips and you find out that the employee of this store hits the lotto with your two dollars you paid for your chips and you say, that this person who you think is not worthy (for whatever sick reason you think up) and you want the state to take all of the lotto winnings back because of your sick ideal of who is unworthy. Do you get it now?

You have no right to govern others lives no matter whether you pay taxes or not. Once you pay taxes you don't even know if your taxes are used for that persons well being so you have no rights to say how they spend their money.

It is pompous, prejudice, discriminatory, etc... and those are the nicer terms for the ideology that leads one to believe they have the right to tell anyone else what to do in their lives.

My opinion as always. No offense intended either.

So you feel put out because you are not poor enough to recieve help? I was always glad not to have to ask for help and was still glad that my tax dollars helped others. What is wrong with this picture?