Here's an article from todays front page at woodtv.com (my local news station):
2 jobs, now woman is instant millionaire
Posted:
Jan 2, 2008 05:22 PM EST
Updated:
Jan 2, 2008 05:22 PM EST
ALPINE TOWNSHIP - A woman is an instant millionaire, after she bought a winning lottery ticket at Party World on Alpine Avenue.
The as-yet-unidentified woman bought one of the limited number of $20 tickets from the Michigan Lottery's Millonaire Raffle. Six of those tickets are worth a million dollars each.
Employees at Party World told 24 Hour News 8 the woman came in Wednesday morning with the winning ticket. She planned to go to Lansing to claim her prize.
The winner, they said, works two jobs and really needs the money.
"It's gotta be very nice to be able to kind of get yourself on your feet, and that can really set someone on a good life path," said Rob Antor, who sold her the winning ticket. "And I feel fortunate that I was able to bring joy to somebody."
A ticket worth $100,000 was sold at the Meijer on Plainfield Avenue.
o.k....
so heres where I'm confused...what business does a cash-strapped person that works two jobs have with purchasing $20 lottery tickets? Granted..yes they won..but seriously. The odds are huge that you won't win and yet they're purchasing over-priced tickets (thats twenty bucks PER ticket for a SINGLE chance to win)?
And secondly..the clerk proudly declares "I feel fortunate that I was able to bring joy to somebody" as if they personally wrote out a check for an easy million dollars to some anonymous stranger.
Sorry..I have a thing about the wastefulness of the lottery and I think it destroys more lives than it saves.
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.