Monday letters: Abolish lottery, find better funding

I was appalled by a TV spot from the S.C. Lottery Commission urging people addicted to the lottery to call for help. Most of these “addicts” probably are poor people who can’t afford to throw their money away on the lottery. It is frightening to think how many children in this state go to bed hungry or do without a warm coat in the winter because their families’ limited resources are blown on the lottery.

I wonder how many children could be clothed and fed with just the money spent by the Lottery Commission on advertising to justify its existence. Does the number of college students helped by the lottery justify the pain and suffering of the young children of those addicted to the lottery?

Some may argue that the lottery is not a big problem, but if this true, why does the lottery run TV spots asking “addicts” to call for help?

I call on the Legislature to do the right thing by abolishing the lottery and finding another way to fund education.

This story was originally published January 4, 2016 at 8:18 AM.