They're supposed to be Catholic! Did you catch that? She loaned her younger sister money for Catholic school tuition.

The Catholic way is to DIVEST oneself of material possessions and to prepare for the Judgment -- not to burden ones self with excessive wealth! What a distraction at best, and a temptation at worst.

Devout Catholics used to enter monasteries/convents as their end approached, to better prepare for death.

What folly to look for wealth and its pleasures when you are on Death's back door!

Matthew

Besides the fact that "The Lottery is a tax on people bad at math.", it also goes against a hard work ethic.

If you put effort into your business (or job, or farm, or garden, etc.) you will get increasingly larger payoffs.

I speak from experience -- my own small business has taken a lot of hard work, and is only now STARTING to pay off a bit. But the more I put into it, the more I get out of it.

Likewise, paying $10 (or more) a week extra toward your mortgage will have a certain payoff -- $800 a month (whatever your mortgage is) for life! Once your house is paid off, guess what? No more house payment. It's like getting a Lottery Winnings check every month.

Yes, if you send in extra payments on your mortgage you have to stick with it every week, and be patient for the results -- but how is that different from paying the lottery?

I'll tell you how it's different -- you get a certain benefit (reduction in principal, reduction in how much interest you pay every month thereafter) whereas Lottery tickets are just money down the toilet. If you lose, it's like you never played. It doesn't bring you 'closer to winning', unless you believe the Gambler's Fallacy.

Matthew