THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 7, 1996 TAG: 9601060143
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 06 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
Somebody had to win the $100,000 in the Virginia Lottery's Cash 5 drawing last week, so it might as well have been the nice folks in the Finance Department at Chesapeake City Hall.
Fourteen employees of the Finance Department who have played the numbers in an office pool every Wednesday for three years finally hit the jackpot.
Divided 14 ways, the winnings amount to $4,857.15 per player after taxes. Compared to the many millions that pass over their desks during the course of a year, that might not seem like much. But this money belongs to them, not somebody else.
From the perspective of a taxpayer, you want the people who are handling public money to be well-off enough not to be tempted, yet not so well off that they lose an honest appreciation for the value of a dollar.
The lottery prize is a delightful post-holiday surprise, but enough to spoil anybody. Congratulations to the winners and good luck next time to the rest of us. by CNB