The Iowa Power Ball lottery jackpot is $25 million — I’ve never

even bought a lottery ticket. Am I missing out on the chance to win

big? Last week, a local news station was interviewing a few people

who had purchased lottery tickets (obviously it was a slow news

day). The responses were typical. “If I won the lottery, I’d quit

my job … I’d pay off student loans … I’d pay off my credit card

debt … I’d buy a new car … I’d build my dream home.” One

response was surprisingly altruistic: “I’d give some to the

Lord.”

What would you do with $25 million? Lounge around a tropical

paradise sipping margaritas? For that, you could even buy your own

island.

We average, middle-class, timecard-punching “Joes” love to amuse

ourselves by dreaming about what we would do if a ton of money

happened to drop in our laps. Would life really be easier and

better? Living from paycheck to paycheck is definitely not easy.

Worrying about how to pay off school loans or rent isn’t easy,

either.

What would I do with $25 million? I have no idea. I’d be scared

to death of getting robbed. I would waste a lot of it on stuff I

don’t want or need. I would have to figure out a way to manage it,

and that would take away time that I’d want to spend on other

things, and that would eventually frustrate me. Family and friends

would expect me to share and I’d have a tough time deciding what’s

fair and what’s not. I wouldn’t want to risk conflict because of

that. I might have more opportunities, but that would lead to

making more choices, and I’m not so sure I trust myself to make the

most appropriate and best choices for me and all others

involved.

Of course I’d give some to charity. Maybe all of it.

Does money buy happiness? Freedom? Opportunity? Every college

student is gambling on the idea that a high-paying job will enable

them to achieve social prestige, wealth and possessions, but we all

know that doesn’t always happen. Our capitalistic economy and

values encourage constant accumulation of wealth because in

America, the myth that money equals power, power equals success,

and success equals happiness prevails. But even in the Great Land

of Opportunity, there are distinctive social classes, a great

divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” The “have-nots”

think they want a glimpse of the other side — as if the other side

is that much better.

The idea of getting rich quick, be it through a lottery ticket,

gambling, or any other scam is the biggest hoax of America.

Money can bring out the worst in human nature. It’s dangerous.

It’s a test of character. Anyone can say “I’ll donate some to

charity,” or “I’ll help pay some of my sister’s medical expenses,”

but when push comes to shove, greed almost always takes over.

Families have been torn apart over money conflicts.

Money isn’t a bad thing in and of itself. It’s our attitude

about it that can make us either miserable or content. I tend to

have a deeper respect for those who work hard to earn an honest

living. And a lot of people break their backs seven days a week

just to make ends meet, yet they buy a lottery ticket at the end of

the day. Maybe they’re looking for a glimmer of hope or a stroke of

luck. But money is rarely the answer for those carrying a grudge

with their timecard. Money is not always a quick fix.

I know that the lottery industry, like Prairie Meadows, plays an

important role in the state’s economy and helps fund many

legitimate non-profit organizations, but it still exploits at the

individual level and widens the gap between the “haves” and

“have-nots.” The odds of winning the Iowa Powerball Lottery are 80

million to one. In fact, the odds are so slim that someone decided

to create a web site just to illustrate this at www.scottware.com.

You have a greater chance of having your car stolen than winning

the lottery. You have a greater chance of getting not struck, but

killed by lightning than winning the lottery. You have a better

chance of dying from a venomous bite or sting than winning the

lottery. You have a better chance of dying from falling out of your

bed or chair than winning the lottery. You have a better chance of

being injured by your toilet bowl cleaner than winning the

lottery.

Here’s what you should do: open a new bank account just for

lottery ticket money. Deposit the money you typically spend on

lottery tickets or scratch games. After five years, you will be one

of the lucky ones who has an unexpected large sum of money drop

into their lap.