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Halter's lottery plan for Arkansas Wednesday, Feb 27, 2008 By David Sanders Lt. Gov. Bill Halter is taking a huge risk. Arkansas' No. 2 Democrat is on a crusade to bring the lottery to a state that has been suspect in the past of measures to expand gambling. His proposal, which requires a constitutional change by way of amendment, is based on the Georgia lottery, where proceeds from the sale of lottery tickets fund college scholarships for students attending accredited in-state institutions. Last week I caught up with Halter over lunch. He was eager to chat about why Arkansas needs his proposal. But, instead of leading with the lottery - several minutes passed before he actually used the "L" word - he backed into the discussion by using one of those staggering statistics where Arkansas ranks near the bottom. "Did you know that Arkansas is 49th in the percentage of adults with college degrees?" he asked. It's a simple fact that he hopes might compel voters to pay attention to what he's selling. The buildup continued as he rolled through what he called the accepted factors for economic development: Quality research and development institutions, solid infrastructure and capital. "It's that simple and that hard," he said, adding that in order to compete in the global economy, Arkansas must have certain economic advantages. There is one advantage he said the state can't afford to pass up. "Are we going to be as competitive as we can be if that statistic (on the number of Arkansans with a college degree) doesn't change?" he asked. So what is his answer to more college graduates ... hmmm? He kept edging closer to the word he had eschewed. "If we want to have a well-trained work force, we must spend more," he said, catching himself, then substituting a more acceptable word for spend. "We must invest more ? so then lottery is just a funding mechanism." There, he said it. No one was hurt. From there on in, the discussion moved toward the typical arguments made by lottery supporters. He pointed out that 42 other states have lotteries and that Arkansans are already spending millions of dollars a year buying lottery tickets in border states, which he said leads to another question. Why should Arkansans be spending money supporting education in other states when they could be spending that money here? It's worth noting that Alabama, one of the states he mentioned that doesn't have a lottery, is beating the socks off nearly every other state in terms of economic development. Halter's supporters point out that his advocacy for the lottery is following up on a campaign promise he made to voters in 2006. During the course of the conversation he echoes, "I'm doing what I said I was going to do." If his constitutional amendment receives the needed 78,000 signatures to make it on the ballot, win or lose, he runs the risk of being labeled as the man who either brought increased gambling to Arkansas, or tried, which could make him vulnerable. "So be it," one supporter claimed, acknowledging the risk. Working to Halter's advantage is the fact that his proposal doesn't have the casino tie-ins contained in previous lottery amendments. As such things are defined, his is clean and the proceeds are earmarked for college scholarships only, which is why lottery opponents admit they face an uphill battle trying to stop Halter's proposal. But there are objections. Does Arkansas really want or need state-sponsored gambling? Will the proposal generate the $100 million it is estimated to bring in? The most compelling argument against the proposal is one made by the New York Times, which called such lotteries a voluntary tax on the poor to support college scholarships that disproportionately go to students from families with means? It's apparent that Halter has sharpened his message. Making the lottery about much more than just the lottery could be just the tactic needed to get voters to punch his ticket in November. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
