If You Don't Have Faith, You Can At Least Have Hope

In our downturned economy and with religious faith disappearing across the US, people turn to the lottery.

I play the lottery, I don't apologize for it, and I don't give a shit if you call me gullible or an ignoramus for doing so. I made stupid decisions in my life that have left me living from paycheck to paycheck at 50 years old, and the lottery gives me hope on four out of the seven days in a week. That's all I have instead of religious faith. It'll have to suffice. I consider the lottery a voluntary share-the-wealth tax that allows a few of us to climb out of the poverty shithole, and funds schools in the bargain. Unlike illegal numbers games of pre-lottery times, at least I have a reasonable certainty that the lottery isn't rigged or otherwise tampered with.