October Second-Lowest Month for Lottery Scholarships This Year

Arkansas Lottery

According a report released by the Arkansas Lottery yesterday, October was the lowest month for lottery scholarship funding since February, even though the Arkansas Lottery made more money in October than it did in September.

The Arkansas Lottery took in more than $34 million in October, but paid out less than $5.2 million in scholarships. That’s the Lottery’s lowest scholarship allocation since February of this year.

For perspective, the Arkansas Lottery managed to pay nearly $5.8 million in scholarships in September, despite taking in $33.1 million. In other words, in September the Arkansas Lottery made less money, but paid out more in scholarships than it did in October.

So what is going on at the Arkansas Lottery? It’s hard to say, but one point we continue to come back to over and over again is the Lottery’s apparent inability to prioritize scholarship funding over its vendor contracts, marketing, salaries, and other expenses. Scholarships simply seem to be the last line-item in the Arkansas “Scholarship” Lottery’s budget.

You can read the October report here. Below is a breakdown of lottery ticket sales and scholarship funds this year:

Month Gross Lottery Revenue Paid to Scholarships % Gross Revenue
January $58,746,249.00 $13,831,359.75 23.5%
February 40,790,144.05 4,474,356.06 11.0%
March 40,579,421.05 5,758,892.84 14.2%
April 37,516,802.47 7,392,837.00 19.7%
May 38,485,146.05 6,606,164.94 17.2%
June 34,983,951.24 11,249,220.37 32.2%
July 38,237,293.92 8,714,386.39 22.8%
August 35,091,022.09 5,498,714.86 15.7%
September 33,113,391.64 5,773,076.42 17.4%
October 34,061,993.14 5,165,040.54 15.2%
Total $391,605,414.65 $69,299,008.63 17.7%

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Why We Have the Electoral College

Elections

white_houseWith another presidential election behind us, many people are once again questioning the wisdom in electing a president through the Electoral College instead of a national popular vote.

Since 1989 the Arkansas Legislature has considered two bills and one resolution attempting to abolish or circumvent the Electoral College.

HJR 1004 of 1989 called on Congress to amend the U.S. Constitution to abolish the Electoral College.

HB 1703 of 2007 and HB 1339 of 2009 amended the way Arkansas would award its electoral votes by awarding all of Arkansas’ electoral votes to the presidential candidate who won the national popular vote.

Ultimately, none of these proposals passed. Other states, like Maine and Nebraska, however, have taken steps to change the way their electoral votes are awarded.

Family Council has always believed it is unwise to meddle with the Electoral College. Below is a video from Dennis Prager’s Pager University highlighting three important things the Electoral College does:

  1. Protect against the tyranny of the majority.
  2. Encourage coalition-building.
  3. Discourage voter fraud.

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Family Council “Business as Usual” About Trump Administration

Elections

Little Rock—On Tuesday, businessman Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Family Council President Jerry Cox released a statement, saying, “As far as our work is concerned, the Trump Administration will be business as usual.

“Many people are shocked by the outcome of this election, but we’re going to continue doing what we’ve done for the past twenty-seven years. We’re going to go to the legislature and pass good laws, defeat the bad ones, and speak up for biblical values every chance we get. Since we are primarily a state-based organization, our primary focus at this time is on the January session of the Arkansas Legislature. With solid, conservative majorities in both houses and with the help of Governor Hutchinson, we are looking forward to the best legislative session in our entire twenty-seven year history,” Cox said.

Cox does see some possible bright spots. “With a new administration, we hope the federal government will back off from pushing a social agenda on the states. For instance, the Obama Administration’s push to force schools to let transgender students pick the shower or dressing facility of their choice would have been unimaginable under any previous presidential administration.”

On the appointment of judges, Cox said. “I am cautiously optimistic about Mr. Trump’s promise to appoint federal judges who will be fair on issues like the sanctity of human life and the proper interpretation of the U.S. Constitution. In that regard, his promise is much more appealing than Hillary Clinton’s promise to appoint pro-abortion judges to the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Cox also noted Trump’s promise to repeal the Johnson Amendment, saying, “The little-known Johnson Amendment that was added to the IRS tax code without a fair hearing in Congress has created a lot turmoil for churches and charities over the decades. It restricts free speech and religious liberty by threatening religious Americans with penalties if they weigh in too much on politics. No other group of Americans is singled out like that. Donald Trump promised to repeal the Johnson Amendment at the Republic National Convention. We hope he will follow through on that promise.”

Cox said that the 2016 Presidential Election shows that we are a deeply divided nation. “Some people want a lot more government and others want a lot less. This election didn’t change those numbers.”

Family Council is a conservative education and research organization based in Little Rock, Arkansas.

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