Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis for December 31, 2021

Pig finally had a plan and Goat had to put the kibosh on it.

Look at it this way, Pig—you’re 50 bucks richer that you would have been.

Does Pig even have $50 with which to buy just groceries (which in no doubt will be just cheese)?

I don’t want lottery tickets, but I could use a cup of tea.

…and mathematically challenged. ;-)

Fear is a very powerful motivator…

Probably bears repeating often (for all the good it ever does): The lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math.

Pig, pay no attention, they say the odds of winning are 20,000 to one, but that does not explain how some people win it twice!

Sometimes disincentives disincentivize in a way not intended.

Happy 20 years, PBS! And Happy New Year’s Eve!

You’re poor? Really, Pig? You owns an iPhone. Poor indeed, you lousy liar.

Oh, big deal, Pig. I go through life poor and terrified.

pig would probably win the lottery and get hit by lightning after collecting his winnings…

If you buy them for entertainment, go ahead and plunk down $50. I’m sure a lot of us plunk down a lot of money for what we are passionate about (look at my tackle box full of lures yet I used the same 5 baits all year!). I agree with Richard up above; it’s a ‘tax’ on the poor. The government school system needs to teach money responsibility instead of… well, you add your subject.

Goat should know that logic won’t work on Pig. It always backfires, which is for our amusement. :-D

Goat how do you win without a ticket ? Happy New Year !

This reminds me of the current “Panic-demic”

Pig, lottery tickets aren’t worth losing your money over.

Happy New years to all! Please be safe and be well! ;^)

If you get hit by lightning, you won’t need to win the lottery.

I know I’m probably alone, but the Government shouldn’t be in the gambling business. I actually see people dropping 50 bucks on lotto and scratch-offs, and they are always obviously poor. Yes, they are the ones making the stupid decision, but desperation makes people do stupid things, and the Government shouldn’t be encouraging it (“All you need is a dollar and a dream!”).

And before the Government started doing it, it was illegal. And the bookies gave you better odds.

Bought $50 scratch tickets for a Christmas present. The person won $19. Bad investment for sure!

My go-to line to my spouse when the idea of some really ridiculous purchase – like a new house or a trip around the world – comes up in our conversation, I say “Sure! That’ll be the first thing I’ll buy when we win the lottery!”

Since we don’t purchase lottery tickets, I’d say the chances of our buying that dream mansion are slim to none.

The lottery is just a voluntary tax on the mathematically challenged.

Which reminds me, I need to get my tix before the stores close early for New Year’s!

I love math and statistics. I have also seen the odds on the back of a lottery ticket. One is lucky just to break even, let alone win something, thus the reason why I don’t play. My undefeated streak just won’t stop.

Happy new year to the gang!

If you’re poor keep the $50. There, you won $50.

Can’t we get past this, Pastis?

Biggest rip-off ever. At least at para-mutuel establishments (putting aside to horse/greyhound/ and perhaps jai alai player abuse) you got 50 cent beer, hot dogs, and other cheap stuff for going to bet your pension or disability check every month here in Florida and up in neighbor state Alabama! I did a bit of the betting in college in both states but when I got older and found out about the animal abuse I quit for moral reasons, plus I grew up! In about 2010 or so it became apparent that the dogs and horses had company with the addicted and working poor for being taken advantage of, gee. imagine that. Now the dog tracks are gone, there are still horse tracks but not as many, yet OTB betting has taken off in many states so the sickness continues.

I used occasionally, just a few times a year (really) to buy a $1 ticket, knowing exactly what the odds against winning were. It was a gesture of irrational hope that amused me, and I didn’t mind wasting a dollar on it occasionally. It got old, though, and I haven’t bought one in at least five years, probably longer.

I always got randomly picked numbers. I think that there is a psychological trap that some habitual players set for themselves. They pick specific numbers that they have a hunch about, and then say to themselves “what if I don’t play this week, and those numbers finally win?” Just a thought.

Lotteries are a tax on those least able to pay it, worse because it is ‘voluntary’ – and attractive to them precisely because they are poor and terrified. Lotteries are the grim realization that it is no longer possible to rise through effort, only luck.

Everyone I know that plays the lottery or goes to the casino is ahead, they win. So how is it these establishments are still operating? Clearly I don’t understand finance.

Go for the trifecta: Lose $50, not win, AND get struck by lightening.

Pig, rolling your butt out of bed today was a big mistake…

Reminds me of the old joke about the guy who prays to God every night to win the lottery. One night a voice answers from above. Could you at least meet me halfway and buy a ticket?

“But, I wasn’t going to buy any lightning tickets!”

Thanks for the chuckles all year, Stephan . Happy New Year everybody!

Pig, cut the lightning risk in half by only buying $25 of lottery tickets. Yeah, that’s the ticket!

That 20,000x odd is extremely exaggerated. Only a few hundred people in the U.S. are struck by lightning each year, and there’s probably a few dozen lottery winners each year.

The only odds worse are winning the Publisher’s Clearing House big payout. Last time I checked, they were lower than the earth’s human population.

How many times do I have to get struck by lightning before I win the lottery? Sheesh.

you and me both Pig.

Aren’t we all, Pig?

(Thanks for the pep talk, Goat….)

It looks like my New Year’s Eve this year will be reading GoComics. Great way to finsh a lousy year, and start a hopefully good new year! Happy New Year, all!

PS- my one tradition is to have some Bailey’s Irish Cream. Slainte!

He’s more likely to get his money back than to win 220 million $ .

20th pbs birthday, to celabatre ima drin beer