THAT’S DEBATABLE:

State lottery ticket sales dipped again this year, worrying school officials who depend on the revenue, and raising questions about Gov. Schwarzenegger’s plan to borrow against future lottery revenue. State Supt. of Schools Jack O’Connell said officials should consider other ways to raise money, but the governor is confident that new lottery games will help goose profits. What should be done about lagging lottery sales?

I’ve never been a fan of a government-run lottery – at best, it is harmless entertainment, at worst, it is a tax on those who are bad with math or who can least afford to play.

Further, the state-run lottery adds very little to education; about 1% of total kindergarten through twelfth-grade spending. Many Californians erroneously think the lottery has solved education funding needs.

So, can the governor’s plan to contract out lottery operations help the budget? Yes. But at what cost to those who can least afford to play a game with poor odds?

Rather than expand the lottery, we should open up California’s territorial waters – three miles and in – to new oil leases using modern slant drill methods from inland locations. We have more than one billion barrels of oil we know about in California’s waters (8 billion in federal). The royalty revenue would exceed any Lottery scheme.

Chuck DeVore

Assemblyman

(R-Newport Beach)

It is absurd to promote gambling in order for kids to get a good education and satisfying jobs, which should help them avoid cheap thrills like gambling.

Before we can persuade the public to support more funding for education or increasing sales taxes, we have to convince the public that it is getting a good return on its investment.

Most of the public in the 70th Assembly District believes in quality education. They also believe that, for the most part, our schools are doing a good job, so they don’t see the need to increase taxes. But allowing weaker, less-productive schools to fail will affect O.C. schools.

Proposition 13 must be revised to fund local schools and government. We can keep protection for residential property and allow the market to dictate values and tax rates for other property.

Yes, it means higher property taxes for some. However, state sales and income taxes are among the highest in the nation, while property taxes rank 45th! It is not about “spreading the wealth.” It is about balancing revenue sources for all government services!

Michael Glover

Democratic candidate for 70th Assembly District