A Lighter View
The Powerball
By K.E.H. Stagg

January 14, 2016

The approach of Powerball's jackpot to $2 billion dollars has sparked discussions around water coolers nationwide: "What would you do if you won?" Dillsburg is no exception. I overheard a  contractor this week say that if he won, the first thing heÕd do (after retaining an attorney) would be to disconnect his telephone.  "Why?" I wondered. He responded, "To keep all those people from asking for money."
He has a point. Pennsylvania is a state that publicizes the name and likeness of big winners, which means long-lost relatives aren't the only ones coming out of the woodwork with an outstretched hand. Charities, researchers, patent developers, even uninsured individuals seeking expensive medical procedures come begging a share of the wealth. And while those causes may be worthy, it seems unfair that anyone in possession of a fortune should be bombarded by demands simply because they "have" and others "have not."
IÕm told that many big lottery winners are broke within five years. Instead of exercising good judgment with the windfall, they simply escalate long-established poor spending habits. Multiple credit cards running thousands of dollars in debt apiece mushroom into tens of thousands (or more) in debt.

Judging by the results of the last office pool, 20 of us shared a meager $4, most of us will never know what it's like to possess an income beyond the national holdings of small nations. Most of us won't ever have to wonder if our friends only hang out with us because they expect us to pick up the dinner tab every single time. Most of us won't have to exercise self-restraint when those ridiculous junk emails flood our mailboxes, urging us to "Get your personal jet/yacht NOW!"

And yet, wouldn't it be fun to try being the exception to lottery winning rules?!