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Last fall, Johnny Mack Morrow ran on a platform that included a lottery vote. It received some criticism due to his initial scheme allotting only 50% of the proceeds to education. So now, we don't have Rep. Morrow in our state legislature, but we do have a lottery plan that is half way to passage. Guess what?!!!
The plan that the Alabama Senate passed this week doesn't allot ANY funds for education. Yes, you heard that right. What it does do is help the Poarch Creek Indian Tribe of Alabama (about 4,000 individuals) rake in more money than they've ever dreamt of.
We're doubting that the current lottery bill will pass the house, but if it does, we predict that Gov. Ivey will sign it into law. So Alabamians can then play Lotto, but our school children won't benefit from it.
What will the lottery benefit? First, funds from the lottery will have to repay money stolen, er, borrowed, from the state Trust Fund. That works for most of us. Then the money begins to be split 50/50 between the General Fund and the Trust Fund. That's until the funding reaches a certain point when it's again meted out in differing percentages. The bottom line is that NONE of these percentages includes the Education Budget.
Sure, education might get a pittance here or there if that department is really in a bind. Pundits say the majority of the lottery proceeds will go to prisons and other non-education state endeavors.
Is this what you want? Let's hope not. If it is, then don't complain when Junior can't read.
Meanwhile at the Frog Pond Marriage Mart
Sen. Greg Albritton, of Atmore, is the sponsor (notice I didn't say author) of this latest lottery bill. Albritton is the same clown who introduced the bill that would have gutted Alabama's ethics laws and made it perfectly legal for legislators to accept "gifts" of any size from any interested person or party. Like the Poarch Creek Indians. One of their casinos is in Greg's district. They gave Greg a $65,000 campaign contribution. Greg gave them a lottery bill that would have given PCI almost total exclusivity over gaming and gambling in the state. But it's not the first time. In 2016, Sen. Del Marsh was PCI's playboy. He introduced a lottery bill with language cleverly hidden in the bill's description that would have provided for PCI to declare any land they own now or in the future a reservation, paving the way for them to open casinos anywhere they wished, absent of local input, consent or control. It passed the Senate but in the House someone (Rep. Connie Rowe??) altered the description and Marsh pulled it from further action thus ending the special session. Any questions?
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