This is troubling. With the state in turmoil over the legality of bingo and perpetually fighting about admitting other forms of gambling, it seems irresponsible for a municipality to institute a lottery, no matter how admirable the cause it supports.
Yes, lotteries are common. Institutions from churches to schools to civic clubs hold them, and the legal authorities manage to overlook (if not condone) them.
Yes, the Census is important. It happens only once in 10 years, and the count has far-reaching impact. According to the U.S. Census Web site, www.census.gov, Census data are used to determine the number of representatives a state has in Congress, to define legislative and school districts, to help communities decide which services to provide for their residents, and to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds each year.
Additionally, Census data affect how funding is allocated to communities for neighborhood improvements, public health, education and transportation, the Census Bureau says.
The members of the Lincoln City Council believe that if the city’s population growth is confirmed through the Census, Lincoln stands to benefit from a bigger share of federally funded projects as well as being more attractive to business investors. They are correct and are to be commended for taking steps to ensure an accurate count of the city’s residents. The other municipalities in Alabama would do well to adopt the same attitude.
And, to their credit, the mayor and council members are anteing up the $1,500 in prize money out of their own pockets, not from city coffers. But the very fact that Councilman Bud Kitchen joked that he’d wait for an opinion from the state attorney general before owning up to responsibility for the idea makes clear that he and his compatriots recognize the questionable legality of their venture and have decided to go ahead with it anyway.
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