A Tax on Dreams

My dear friend Karmen - eccentric, wonderful, amazing, Karmen - once said that lottery tickets are a tax on dreams. Boy, I know that.

Here's how it plays out for the poor. We're broke. Desperation kicks in. Money is tight, sometimes, non-existent. You know that economic stimulus check everyone got? I never even saw it. It went directly towards bills, do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

The lottery jackpot goes up as more people feel the pinch in their own life. When it gets high enough, I feel the itch. "OK, I'll buy a ticket." But . . . I end up buying three. Three bucks I don't have. Three bucks flushed down the toilet; "Bye, bye!"

Twelve numbers, six duplicates and not a single match. What a waste.

Sigh.

Karmen also says that Silly Putty is like Rosary beads for agnostics. At least the Silly Putty is kind of useful. A loser lottery ticket is just another piece of paper.

Jet