The Oregon Lottery - I'm in!

[TomC]

What a dumb use of tax money. Public park? No. Community food bank? As if.
No, it'll go into some private citizen's pocket for making a choice that takes minimal smarts. Next up: lottery for those who didn't overdose on fentanil this year and another for those who didn't go to the hospital after sticking a fork in an outlet.

It's not a dumbass use of state money.

If a million bucks in lottery money ups your vaccination rate to the point that you can reduce hospitalization and start opening up the economy towards normalcy, it's money well spent.


It's unfortunate that humans aren't really "the rational species", but there you have it. We aren't. As a whole, we're really rather stupid. Wishing we weren't won't help reduce the C19 threat. Playing to people's irrational tendencies will.

Basic utilitarianism in action.
Tom

 

[southernhybrid]

Americans love to play the lottery, especially those who can't afford to waste their money on lottery tickets as well as those who believe that Fox is an actual source of news. Whatever it takes to get the dumb asses vaccinated is fine with me.

But, sadly, I still know pf quite a few health care workers who are refusing the vaccine, including the one who checked my vital signs last week at my last doctor's appointment. And, the one RN who I still keep in contact with once in awhile, is not willing to be vaccinated. She's 70, obese, and has diabetes. Go figure! Of course she also voted for Trump. I don't get it.

 

[LoAmmo]

I live in Ohio, one of the states offering the lottery prize to those with vaccinations...and entered the lottery if only to in some tiny way offset the likelihood that some dumbass, Fauci-hating, Trump-voting bleach drinker would be rewarded for belatedly giving in and getting the shot.

And, yes, also because I could use a million dollars.

Edit to add:

I'm with those who lament that we HAVE to do things like a lottery to cajole the irrational elements of our population into getting vaxxed, but also agree that it's NOT a waste of money. If it has the intended result of a spike in vaccinations, no matter how much is given away as prize money, it's probably pennies on the dollar compared to what the cost of another hard nationwide wave of COVID-19 would do to us, right at the beginning of a summer of resuming normal activities.

 

[fromderinside]

I'm with the old family doctor method. Give children, especially spoiled ones, lollipops.

 

[southernhybrid]

I do wonder what will happen if we need a booster vaccine every year, like the flu vaccine. Considering that a large percentage of people never take the flu vaccine, how many will be wiling to take a COVID vaccine every year, if that's what is needed for continued protection?

This year due to wearing masks, socially distancing and a higher percentage of people receiving the flu vaccine, we had a remarkably mild flu season, with far fewer deaths than in most years. I personally know at least 5 or more people who received the flu vaccine for the first time ever.

Until more people understand that these vaccines are a public health necessity, we may have an increase in COVID cases each season. We still don't know enough about the future when it comes to COVID. There is some evidence that the current vaccine may only be effective for 6 months or so. With all the mutant strains, we need to continue to take this virus seriously and encourage yearly vaccines if that's what it take to keep things under control. We may end up needing a yearly lottery to get enough people vaccinated for the flu and COVID. Whatever it takes...

 

[Treedbear]

... There is some evidence that the current vaccine may only be effective for 6 months or so. With all the mutant strains, we need to continue to take this virus seriously and encourage yearly vaccines if that's what it take to keep things under control. We may end up needing a yearly lottery to get enough people vaccinated for the flu and COVID. Whatever it takes...

If that becomes the case then the irony will be that people will put off getting the vaccine until they get offered a lottery ticket. If a free lottery ticket was automatically handed out to everyone who got the shot from the beginning it wouldn't amount to anything special. From my talks with lottery addicts I think the main attraction is that they figure they are coming out ahead by, let's say, "gaming" the system. It's not that the odds are actually in their favor. The fact that they really aren't, and yet they can win is the whole point. So if they can wait until everyone else has gotten the vaccine and they end up getting a free lottery ticket because they were clever enough to have waited then they're the winner. In other words the fact that it's counterintuitive to put off getting the vaccine that you intend to eventually get anyway makes perfect sense.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

... There is some evidence that the current vaccine may only be effective for 6 months or so. With all the mutant strains, we need to continue to take this virus seriously and encourage yearly vaccines if that's what it take to keep things under control. We may end up needing a yearly lottery to get enough people vaccinated for the flu and COVID. Whatever it takes...

If that becomes the case then the irony will be that people will put off getting the vaccine until they get offered a lottery ticket. If a free lottery ticket was automatically handed out to everyone who got the shot from the beginning it wouldn't amount to anything special. From my talks with lottery addicts I think the main attraction is that they figure they are coming out ahead by, let's say, "gaming" the system. It's not that the odds are actually in their favor. The fact that they really aren't, and yet they can win is the whole point. So if they can wait until everyone else has gotten the vaccine and they end up getting a free lottery ticket because they were clever enough to have waited then they're the winner. In other words the fact that it's counterintuitive to put off getting the vaccine that you intend to eventually get anyway makes perfect sense.

In Ohio they are doing five drawings. And the odds of winning are few magnitudes better than Powerball. To wait would be ridiculous! This might be the best odds to win a million dollars ever.

 

[Treedbear]

... There is some evidence that the current vaccine may only be effective for 6 months or so. With all the mutant strains, we need to continue to take this virus seriously and encourage yearly vaccines if that's what it take to keep things under control. We may end up needing a yearly lottery to get enough people vaccinated for the flu and COVID. Whatever it takes...

If that becomes the case then the irony will be that people will put off getting the vaccine until they get offered a lottery ticket. If a free lottery ticket was automatically handed out to everyone who got the shot from the beginning it wouldn't amount to anything special. From my talks with lottery addicts I think the main attraction is that they figure they are coming out ahead by, let's say, "gaming" the system. It's not that the odds are actually in their favor. The fact that they really aren't, and yet they can win is the whole point. So if they can wait until everyone else has gotten the vaccine and they end up getting a free lottery ticket because they were clever enough to have waited then they're the winner. In other words the fact that it's counterintuitive to put off getting the vaccine that you intend to eventually get anyway makes perfect sense.

In Ohio they are doing five drawings. And the odds of winning are few magnitudes better than Powerball. To wait would be ridiculous! This might be the best odds to win a million dollars ever.

So it will really suck if we don't have COVID around next year. Another reason to hate Fauci.

 

[southernhybrid]

In Ohio they are doing five drawings. And the odds of winning are few magnitudes better than Powerball. To wait would be ridiculous! This might be the best odds to win a million dollars ever.

So it will really suck if we don't have COVID around next year. Another reason to hate Fauci.

I wouldn't go that far....I was just trying to think of how to motivate people to be vaccinated against the flu and any other seasonal viruses, assuming that they are needed.

There will always be the goofy ones who believe all kinds of weird things about vaccines. They are probably beyond help. For example, a neighbor of ours thinks that the flu vaccine gave her shingles one year because she got shingles about a week after she took her flu vaccine. Too bad she didn't et a shingles vaccine while she was at the pharmacy. She and her husband are adamant that they will never receive the COVID vaccine.

And the even crazier ones think that Bill Gates put something in the vaccine to alter their DNA. There's not much you can about people like that.

 

[ZiprHead]

And the even crazier ones think that Bill Gates put something in the vaccine to alter their DNA. There's not much you can about people like that.

I love the ones where Bill Gates is putting tracking devices in the vaccines.

First of all, you ain't that important.

Second, You typed about your fears on a cell phone.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

In Ohio they are doing five drawings. And the odds of winning are few magnitudes better than Powerball. To wait would be ridiculous! This might be the best odds to win a million dollars ever.

So it will really suck if we don't have COVID around next year. Another reason to hate Fauci.

I wouldn't go that far....I was just trying to think of how to motivate people to be vaccinated against the flu and any other seasonal viruses, assuming that they are needed.

There will always be the goofy ones who believe all kinds of weird things about vaccines. They are probably beyond help. For example, a neighbor of ours thinks that the flu vaccine gave her shingles one year because she got shingles about a week after she took her flu vaccine. Too bad she didn't et a shingles vaccine while she was at the pharmacy. She and her husband are adamant that they will never receive the COVID vaccine.

And the even crazier ones think that Bill Gates put something in the vaccine to alter their DNA. There's not much you can about people like that.

I had the flu vaccine and got Shingles too! If that isn’t scientific anecdotal correlation, I don’t know what is.

 

[Treedbear]

In Ohio they are doing five drawings. And the odds of winning are few magnitudes better than Powerball. To wait would be ridiculous! This might be the best odds to win a million dollars ever.

So it will really suck if we don't have COVID around next year. Another reason to hate Fauci.

I wouldn't go that far....I was just trying to think of how to motivate people to be vaccinated against the flu and any other seasonal viruses, assuming that they are needed.

There will always be the goofy ones who believe all kinds of weird things about vaccines. They are probably beyond help. For example, a neighbor of ours thinks that the flu vaccine gave her shingles one year because she got shingles about a week after she took her flu vaccine. Too bad she didn't et a shingles vaccine while she was at the pharmacy. She and her husband are adamant that they will never receive the COVID vaccine.

And the even crazier ones think that Bill Gates put something in the vaccine to alter their DNA. There's not much you can about people like that.

I'm not saying it's a bad idea. Just noting the irony of it all. They aren't going to give up their confusion easily.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Meanwhile, GOP trying to stop Ohio's vaccine lottery.

The longer this goes on the more I think the QOP is goodlife.