Listen: The Arkansas Lottery Could Boost Education Spending By Cutting Its Prize Budget

Arkansas Lottery, Podcast,

This is Family Council in Little Rock. Today, we delve into the Arkansas Lottery and its allocation of funds for college scholarships. For over a decade, concerns have been raised about the state’s lottery failing to prioritize education funding. Let’s take a closer look at the numbers.

As percentages go, the Arkansas Lottery has one of the highest prize budgets among state lotteries in America. However, it allocates far less for education than the typical state lottery does, and less than it is capable of budgeting.

In fiscal year 2023, the Arkansas Lottery took in an astounding $608 million. It spent approximately 19% of that revenue on college scholarships and 69% of its revenue on prizes.

Now, let’s illustrate how the funding could change if the Arkansas Lottery decided to prioritize education further. Imagine the Lottery took in $600 million in a year. Currently, the budget would be approximately $114 million for college scholarships and $414 million for prizes.

However, by reducing the prize budget to 60% of its revenue, the Lottery could increase its scholarship budget to 25% of its gross revenue. This would result in approximately $150 million going towards college scholarships and $360 million towards prizes.

Lottery officials have expressed concerns that decreasing prizes and increasing scholarship funding might lead to a decline in ticket purchases. However, it’s worth noting that this has not been the case in other states.

Even if lottery ticket sales plummeted, the Arkansas Lottery could still provide millions of additional dollars for education by budgeting 25 cents out of every dollar for college scholarships instead of the current 19 cents.

The Arkansas Lottery has the potential to provide more money for college scholarships, even if lottery ticket sales were to drop. By adjusting its budget and prioritizing education, the Lottery could make a significant difference in the lives of Arkansas students.

That’s all for today. If you liked this story, be sure to check out our website at Family Council.org. You can find all kinds of news and information there. Thanks for listening.

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Oregon Expands Assisted-Suicide to Nonresidents Despite Obvious Flaws in State Law

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , ,

Oregon will let nonresidents end their lives under the state’s assisted-suicide law, according to a bill that Gov. Tina Kotek signed on July 13. The new measure amends Oregon’s 1997 “Death With Dignity Act” that legalized physician-assisted suicide in the state. Going forward, non-residents will be able to travel to Oregon and receive a prescription for lethal drugs if they meet the other criteria in the assisted-suicide law.

Family Council has written repeatedly about the problems with Oregon’s assisted-suicide law over the years.

For example, since 1998, only 3% of assisted-suicide patients in Oregon were referred for psychiatric evaluation first.

That matters, because data from the Oregon Health Authority indicates the vast majority of terminally ill patients who want to end their lives under the state’s assisted-suicide law possibly are wrestling with some type of mental illness.

Over the past 25 years, more than 90% of the patients who inquired about assisted-suicide in Oregon said they were concerned about losing their autonomy because of their illness, and nearly 75% expressed worries about losing their dignity. Most did not express concerns about controlling their pain.

Patients who are lonely and feel like they are losing control over their lives need counseling and support — not a prescription for poisonous drugs.

That’s part of the reason why pro-lifers maintain that assisted-suicide actually robs patients of compassionate care.

In 2019 a Canadian man with ALS made headlines when he chose to take his own life under the country’s assisted suicide and euthanasia laws after the government chose not to provide him with 24-hour home healthcare services due to cost.

In parts of the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is legal, insurance companies have refused to pay for patients’ medical care, but have offered to cover assisted-suicide drugs.

As Oregon expands its assisted-suicide laws, Arkansans should remember that being pro-life means believing human life is sacred from conception until natural death, and it means opposing the taking of human life without just cause.

Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted-suicide are murder, and they violate the sanctity of human life.

Join Family Council in Little Rock on August 17 & 18 for the Foundations of Truth Summit, a worldview conference designed to equip and encourage Christians to engage their culture with a biblical worldview. Register here today!

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