Siegelman: A State Lottery is the Best Way to Pay for "Quality Education"

Former Gov. Don Siegelman had a column in Sunday's Birmingham News reiterating his support for a state lottery, and saying that "opponents...continue to criticize a lottery without offering a single workable alternative."

As best I can tell, Siegelman's argument for a lottery is based on three assumptions - 1) that "all Alabama children deserve the right to a quality education," 2) that public education in Alabama is underfunded, and 3) that there is a "prevailing anti-tax sentiment in Alabama" that prevents raising tax revenues that are sufficient to fund "quality" education for the state's schoolchildren.

These assumptions lead Siegelman to conclude that a state lottery is the only reasonable way to address the problems in Alabama's education system.

In my opinion, the validity of each of Siegelman's assumptions is questionable. Nonetheless, they pose some interesting questions that are worth discussing. For instance:

"All Alabama children deserve the right to a quality education."

• What is a "right," and what obligations does it imply?
• Should there be a right to pursue a quality education or a right to receive one?
• Is there an inherent right to an education at public expense?
• If so, what does that imply?
• If not, then why has the state chosen to support public education at all?

Public education in Alabama is underfunded.

• Do Alabama's public schools, colleges, and universities waste a significant amount of taxpayer money?
• What level of financial support should parents be expected to provide for the education of their children? On the other hand, what should the state provide?
• Are Alabama's educational institutions accountable for the results they produce?
• Will additional revenue lead to a better education system?

Anti-tax sentiment prevents the state from raising adequate revenues for education through taxation.

• Why are Alabamians so adamantly opposed to higher taxes, even if the revenues are to be spent on "good causes" like education.
• Do low taxes provide benefits that outweigh the benefits of more state spending?
• What is the record of Alabama voters in approving taxes devoted to public education?

There'll be more on all of this later in the week. For now, though, let me know if I missed anything.