Posted 1:57 PM by Susan Darst Williams

A GAMBLING SHOCKER, AND A CALL FOR YOUR ELECTION PICKS

Nebraska No. 1! Ah, those halcyon days of yore on the football field. But that was yore. This is now. And THIS one makes our FACES go big red kind of like the team’s been doing lately:

Nebraska is ranked first in the nation in the percentage of statewide lottery revenues that are eaten up by administrative expenses.

Ewwwwww!!!!!

You can check it out on www.taxpayersnetwork.org by clicking the “50 State Comparison’’ on the ribbon at the upper right, and asking for the gambling statistics that are compared state by state.

Nebraska spent 25.05 percent of every dollar brought in by the statewide lottery in 2002 on its own administrative expenses, according to this compilation. Most of the states spent single-figure percentages on those expenses.

And yet they SOLD the lottery to us for how much it was going to help our schools! They said our schools would be ROLLING in dough, if we’d just OK the lottery – that every dime would go for gold-plated computers and diamond-studded pencils and stuff. They didn’t say those gold-plated computers and diamond-studded pencils and stuff were going to be for the BUREAUCRATS and POLITICIANS who run the lottery!!!

Bah, humbug.

Let this be a lesson to all those who might vote for the casinos and slot machine proposals on next Tuesday’s ballot.

Thanks to the smart gentleman reader in Beatrice who passed along this news tip, and said it has relevance to the current expanded gambling proposals, which he opposes:

‘’In other words,’’ he writes, ‘’Nebraska receives some tax income, the promoters keep a great deal of the money wagered, a very few Nebraskans are lottery winners while most Nebraskans are losers.’’

Ain’t it the truth?

NOW . . . turning our full attention to Election Day . . . please send your “picks’’ for any education-related races you’re following, or your requests for background on any ed-related contests. I’ll publish my picks, with your help, this coming Friday. I’m especially interested in State Board of Education, State Legislature, ESU Board, and school board races.

Let me know what you think! And thanks!

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Be sure to visit my feature blog, http://www.DailySusan.blogspot.com, for a series of stories this week about the expanded gambling measures that are on the Nov. 2 ballot in Nebraska, and the impact that would have on our state.