It’s tough to criticize the lottery if you are its champion. Lt. Gov. Bill Halter seems to be in this delicate spot now—especially since public confidence in the lottery has significantly declined. In this morning’s issue of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Halter admits that a few lottery salaries are too high, but goes on to defend the mistakes made so far.
Arkansans are not pleased. According to a recent poll by Talk Business, public support for the lottery is decidedly mixed—and even leaning to the negative side. The poll was conducted July 13-15 by telephone with 600 likely Arkansas voters, and the results are quite telling.
Private sector salaries for publicly-funded jobs.
That’s the type of high-level payouts the Arkansas Lottery Commission is offering to potential candidates for the following 34 positions. According to the Lottery Commission’s new website, employees of Arkansas’ state-run lottery will be paid as follows: