California Lottery Sales

The legislation proposed by Assemblyman Thomas Bane (D-Tarzana) to deny welfare recipients the right to buy lottery tickets is discriminatory and appalling.

The argument against the use of state money for this purpose is illogical. If a welfare recipient wins a big prize, not only is it a great opportunity for a new start for that person, it is also one less person on welfare rolls. If the players don’t win, they’ve just given that money back to the state. As far as the rest of us are concerned, unless the state were to reimburse welfare recipients for gambling losses, I fail to see how we are affected by their purchase of lottery tickets.

Further, why does Bane single out the lottery? Would he also ban these people from the race track? At least with the lottery there are two advantages: the cost of a ticket is half the price of a horse bet, and the losses go back to the state.

If welfare grants are to be used only for shelter, food and clothing, should people receiving those funds be denied attending a movie, or going to the zoo, or buying a magazine?

The single most important issue here is the fact that these are grown-up people, not children, and should be permitted to spend their money as they see fit. Certainly there are some foolish people out there who will spend far too much in this manner, but I firmly believe these are isolated cases and not at all representative of the majority of welfare recipients.

Needy people have it tough enough, and if for a single dollar they can buy a little fun and excitement, and perhaps even a fresh start, they should not be denied this opportunity.

LUCY POWELL

Van Nuys