Congratulations to them stepping forward.

Congratulations to the Smith family

They say they plan to tithe to their church. Does that mean that they plan to go buy a farm and donate a tithe of the crops and every tenth sheep, goat and cow that passes under the rod? Read your bible folks!

They have hired attorneys to help them with the money and will take a trip to the usual family spot, though they wouldn't say where that was.

Hats off to the Smith family!!

Wish the best to the luckiest family in NEW JERSEY... and have fun and not too wild :)

That family will no doubt enjoy their new found wealth. I hope they have competent, ethical advisers who will formulate a long term goal/budget for each of them.

If they don't stray from these guidelines then life should be sweet for each one of them.

Always wondered: The back of the lottery ticket clearly states "One Name Only" to be written in. I assumed (if/when I hit the big one) that I would need to create a Trust or LLC in order to bring in the whole family into winner's circle (if family is reading, this in no way constitutes a promise of sharing all of the winnings!).

This brings up the question: Would the lottery accept a newly created entity (created after the winning draw) as a winner? How about the IRS?? This article brought up the questions in my mind as 8 family members share the jackpot. I'm sure that any capable attorney has a work-around these "problems" but anybody have any thoughts on the legal side of winning and wanting to share with family??

 and they did it with a dream.

 We all want that sweet life. Planning ahead will help us get there when we win.

You living way in the past. That applied to the ancient Jews before their Great City fell to the Roman armies- another thing the name Smith is not Jewish... Just saying!

**When was the last time you brought a goat to your Church as a sacrificial offering?

Another Stroke of Luck: Having a Surname of Smith!

Most Common Surnames in the United States 1990 Census:

Smith
Johnson
Williams
Jones

UPDATE: The article has been updated with additional facts about the family and the win.

Excellent!!! I'm happy for them and glad it happened to this family!!

Congratulations!!!

Very happy for this family. Now their vacations will go from "pretty good" to "absolute kick-a__"!

This is what intrigues me.  My question is, who dreamt the numbers? Which family member had the dream. They quoted as saying, "THEY came to US through a Dream"!Congrats to all of you for hitting the big time! Keep on working? Not me! I would quit in a heartbeat! Get out and travel and see the good ole USA!

If a lottery is holding a press conference for a lottery winner, they should at least ensure that the questions can be heard!

the splitting the prize at claiming is smart. there will  be no complications with gift taxes.  as to divine intervention, what  devine being  gave them the numbers?  claiming on fri 13th gives me a clue. sounds like these people are all set up for a no problesm win and we shouldnt hear form them again... I look forward to hearing more.

prm199, i am with you on this one. I believe the Smiths are making a big mistake and violating the "gift tax" rule.

Don't they have to prove that this was a "partnership" before they are allowed to split the prize equally?

Aren't they going to be subject to the gift tax rule?

It's gonna be hard to prove to the IRS that they had a partnership and that everyone was contributing to play the lottery when the Mom says "she never gambles playing the lottery". However, they won't say who dreamt the numbers.

It doesn't sound like this was a lottery partnership. I see tax problems down the road.

Mom said she played $6.00, so does that mean everyone (8 people) contributed $0.75 to her dream?

She had a ticket for two drawings so it sounds like she bought 3 lines ($6.00) times two drawings ($12.00). I think she spent $12.00.

If 8 people had contributed just $1.00 each that would have been $8.00 not $12.00.

I don't believe anyone contributed money towards this jackpot but I admire her for sharing it with her entire family.

Will each person receive an equal share? The article doesn't mention it.

Imagine the gift tax she would have to pay if the IRS deems that she owes one? Millions in additional taxes!

Anyone have an idea if she'll owe gift taxes on this and how much?

Lottery personnel said in interview it was a one line ticket, multiplied. So, $3 for Wednesday and Saturday

Congratulations.  Enjoy. 

Decide how much you want to share.  Get a financial advisor and attorney before you claim the winnings.

The mother bought the ticket.  Another article I read said she is a minister.

This isn't the first time winnings were shared with family or friends.  That's what lawyers  and financial advisors are for.

"divine intervention"?

Yeah sure, riiight...

I hope they get sound financial advice and "enjoy" it to the utmost!

Someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but they won't owe gift taxes, only income tax. In fact the IRS has a form specifically for the purpose of splitting gambling winnings that is used in these situations (form 5754). Below is some info I pulled from finance.zacks.com.

The Internal Revenue Service considers all lottery winnings to be taxable income, even if you do not receive an income document at the end of the year that reports the amount you’ve won. If you’ve split your prize with another person or group of people, you need to take steps to ensure any reportable amounts are allocated correctly between yourself and the other winners. In most cases, you need to handle these steps prior to cashing in on your prize.

State Lottery Regulations
Each state lottery commission creates its own rules concerning group or multiple lottery prize winners. The IRS sets mandatory withholding tax rules for prize amounts, but states decide the types of games and winning amounts that are applied to split claims. Before you cash in your winning ticket, download a winner’s handbook from the state lottery commission’s website to review your options.

Claims Department
The state lottery commission processes requests for multiple winner claims. Many states, such as California, Pennsylvania and Kansas require that split claims, be processed before the winning lottery prize is paid out. Other states, such as Oregon, require one claimant to receive the payout, then file a request with the lottery commission to divide the tax liability among the other winners. In either case the lottery commission gathers information about the winners and the amount of prize each person should receive before payments are arranged. The commission also uses claimant information to prepare the correct tax reporting information for each winner. Because each state lottery commission operates individually and may have varying rules, it is important to review the claim instructions for multi-winner claims prior to requesting a payout.

IRS Form 5754
When lottery prize splits are allowed by the state and a proper claim is submitted with the claims department, the lottery commission asks you to complete IRS Form 5754. This form must contain information about all the winners and the amount of prize each person received. This form is not turned into the IRS; the lottery commission uses it to prepare a W2-G form for each winner, listing the prize each person receives. W2-G forms are sent to winners by the end of January each year, and the IRS expects each person to report the amount of his prize as shown on the W2-G form.

Unreported Split
In general the IRS only requires you to report income that is yours. If lottery winnings you receive are split with other winners and you are the only person who receives a W2-G form, which shows the entire taxable portion of the lottery prize, the IRS expects you to report the whole prize on your return. If this happens and the winnings were really split between you and other winners, you have the option of reporting only your portion. If you do this, you also need to attach a statement to your return explaining that you only received a portion of the prize. On your statement, you need to list the amount you received and provide information about the other winners who received part of the winnings as well as the amounts they received. The IRS then checks the returns of the other people to see if they also claimed their portions. If the other winners do not report their prize, the IRS may require you to claim the whole amount, as shown on the W2-G form you receive.

I don't understand why you all are so so confuse. First and foremost if co workers can split a jackpot with no problem a family can split a jackpot too if they all are old enough to gamble . Number two IRS is not worried about tax implications IRS has taken there share of the money already so they are winners too. About the eight sharing that means IRS will actually make more in tax when all eight starts spending when was the last time you saw a black family of eight spending on one direction so this actually benefits the economy and IRS more like eight houses eight cars eight donkeys maybe I start playing 888 lol. Another thing about why they spent only $6 by eight people I think you need to go back to school and learn basic maths you see this family is smart not your typical black family there is a posibilty they could have put together a pool of $500 but decided to play only $6 per draw so this way they stay in the game longer I do the same thing I play my constant $3 and I play my quick pick $3 so I spend $6 too slowly because powerball and mega million is a long term strategy game not a one time play and win. I missed a $300,000 win on powerball on four numbers and pb with power play because I was waiting for $80,000,000 jackpot to grow and I regret this everyday. So just because they spent $6 doesn't mean that is all they have on there lottery budget and beside give them credit when was the last time you say a black family share anything peacefully if you want my opinion I think its because they have one son if I where him I get away from all those crazy females lol . I do have five sisters and am the only son and I could not wait to get the hell out don't you see his body language lol

My above comment is in respond to golfer1960 . At least they did better than the other crazy new jersey winner Pedro quezada who couldn't give his ten year girlfriend inez sanchez a KitKat bar break. He was so dumb he sent all his money to the Dominican republic go figure :)   I wonder what other trouble he is up to now apart from getting fat from donuts.

If you all want to know what I think well I think the guy in the family picked all the right numbers currently because we men are good in maths and all thoes women where already shopping at the mall and going back to pickup all there layaways that's what women do best spend our money. :)

Thanks to golpher1960, zephbe & albeone for the insights. I guess the key phrase in the IRS documents is "When lottery prize splits are allowed by the state...". 

The IRS is the big loser when these splits are allowed - especially in the long term - due to the Estate Tax (which by the way is the biggest con ever perpetrated on the American citizens). Here is why: in the short term, the IRS will get their 36% or whatever the highest tax bracket is from the winnings (whether its an individual or from several winners). But if we use the example of this family, they will each receive $25mil. The Estate Tax exemption is $10mil per family ($5mil per individual). In other words, each family will be able to pass on tax-free to their children $10mil. Anything above that amount is subject to the Estate Tax. So having 8 families share the winnings, the IRS will see up to $80mil. get passed on tax free! With a single winner, they too are allowed only $10mil is tax exemption so the IRS would be able to tax the remaining $190mil.  The Federal Estate Tax is 40% for amounts of $1mil and above.

Don't get me wrong, there should be NO ESTATE TAX (I would make an exception for IRA accounts and other instruments passed on to children that have had a tax exemption during the lifetime of the deceased). Lottery winning are a perfect example of why the Estate Tax is extremely unfair and a clear case of double taxation! As an example, you win $100mil cash jackpot. After Federal and State taxes you end up with approx. $60mil. (I live in Illinois so that would be my case. Obviously, some states have no taxes and rates vary). If I put my $60mil. in a bank and fly off to Vegas with the wife and our plane crashes, would my children get the $60mil? No. They would get $10mil tax free but the other $50mil would be taxed at 40% (ignoring State Estate Tax for now). So my kids would end up with a $20mil. tax bill all because I died!!  So I win $100mil.; pay my taxes and end up with $60mil.; die and my kids now have $40mil.   If anybody sees any fairness in this you have me stumped.

Anyway, I don't believe the story for this lucky family is as cut and dry as its being presented. If the State of New jersey does indeed allow these types of lottery splits, that is wonderful news for them. I truly hope they get great legal counsel that keeps them out of trouble. Specifically, explaining the $5mil per individual lifetime rule for Gifting as well as the annual gift tax rules which I believe are at $14,000 per year at the moment (you can give any individual up to $14,000 per year without either party having to report the gift as income. Anything above that goes against the $5mil. gift tax).

 You mean Obama is not on the list?

Jersey is on a roll.  MM website does not specify if the 5 number used Megaplier or not, but someone in NJ won @ least $1 million.  Hopefully they were one of the three that used Megaplier to get $4 million....Todd, was it you this time?

Happy spending.

That is so nice I am happy for the Family I read somewhere that the Lady that played the Mega Million

followed her own Intution and the number's popped  in her head?  And she rarley ever gamble.

This is so sweet. They are all multimillionaires. Time to spend some serious cash. 

Maybe she should go to Borgata or Caesars casino down the road from where they live!

The first time I heard the jackpot was sold in NJ, I thought maybe Todd the Chief was the winner. Imagine how appropriate and befitting that would have been.

Todd definitely deserves to work with all the hard work he does on LP!

It's common in Africa and Asia to this day to have animal sacrifices in churches. The ancient fairy tale books like the bible or the Quran are just that, fairy tale books that should have been destroyed centuries ago.

Inherited wealth breeds crazy and stupid <snip>s like Trump. The Estate tax needs to be much much higher on the extremely wealthy. 

"This isn't the first time winnings were shared with family or friends."

This also wouldn't be the first time that a winner shared with family and then paid gift taxes to the IRS. You can read about one particular case here: http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2012/jul/lottery-win.html and some general info here: http://www.sofloridaestateplanning.com/2012/03/articles/income-tax/planning-on-sharing-your-lottery-winnings-with-your-family-write-it-down-now/

"I guess the key phrase in the IRS documents is "When lottery prize splits are allowed by the state...". "

Taxes are based on IRS regulations, not what the lottery "allows". If you win a lottery prize the money is yours and the lottery has absolutely no say in who you share it with. The lottery just gets to make the rules on how they pay the prize.  Since there's only one ticket the lottery is entitled to make a single payment to the entity that owns the ticket, or they can write 100 separate checks to each individual member of a pool, depending on what their rules are.

The IRS treatment of the winnings will be about who actually won the prize and what pre-existing agreements were in place. If a bunch of coworkers share a lottery prize the IRS probably isn't going to be very aggressive about looking for proof that there was a mutual agreement to share the prize before it was won, because very few people would give the majority of the prize to their coworkers simply because they were feeling generous. Families are a completely different matter, because people are often inclined to share purely out of generosity that is a result of the familial relationship. In other words,  people often give gifts to family members. That means that the IRS is likely to demand proof that their was a legitimate pre-existing agreement to share any winnings. If there isn't proof the IRS may treat the winnings as income to a single person, and view the shares as gifts.

In that case, one person won a cash prize of about $284 million, and the IRS is going to expect them to pay income taxes of about $112 million. They'd also treat the $248 million that was given to the children as gifts, so after the $5.3  million lifetime exemption that's almost $243 million that could be taxed at 40%, so there's another $97 million the IRS may be asking for. That would be a total tax bill of $209 million, leaving them with about $75 million, or about $9 million each.

So if you work hard and pass along some money to your children, the government should take it away?  That is tyranny my friend.  People should not be so quick to say what other people should be forced to do.  Because one day someone will force YOU to do something using the same logic.

If I won, I would hire Warren Buffet's financial advisor. I would make friends with the guys from shark tank and tell them to mentor me. I would especially invest in assets over liabilities. Lastly, I would invest in self-development/education and learn many skills to be a wealthier person.

Yes, because the government is neither crazy nor stupid. Good God...

Estate Tax is DOUBLE TAXATION. I'm going to take a wild guess and say you feel the Bern!!

One thing I'm sure of, if you end up winning a huge jackpot (which I truly hope you do) you would change your mind quickly on the ills of the Estate Tax. If I found anything true its that those who are in favor of higher taxes and government programs are those eating from the public trough rather than contributing...

Congrats to this family!!! They took their time claiming and got the right things in order to help them with their new found fame and money that will be coming along. I have always believed dreams do come true and this is a great example of them. This family won off of numbers they picked....not a qp which does not happen often. Very happy they are giving their tithe. I believe in giving and when you bless others, you get your blessings back abundantly!!!! Congrats again Smith family!!!!!!

I am delighted with all the positive congratulations to this wonderful family.  I just stumbled on remarks on youtube, downright racists remarks.  Haters everywhere but LP members it seems.

Yahoo news is just as bad, infested with them trolls. With maybe with one mild exception, no problems on here so far.

Thanks for the info, KY Floyd.

To each his own, however you cannot ignore or sweep history under the rug simply because you find it convenient. We have been to the Moon you know & have a little scrapper running around on the surface of Mars- fairy tale? I think not.

Good grief. I could do with just one million. Just need a home.

What decade are you living in? How many degrees do you have? Probably none. Good in "maths?" Obviously not an English major. Most of the women I know work full time.

Spokesperson for the Smith family, Valerie Arthur, said that they played numbers from a divine dream. Remember Cynthia Stafford who won a jackpot of some $112 million, in the Mega Millions game, back in May,2007. She said that she won by meditation. Everyone has a way of winning, and when they do win, they think that it was their method of winning, by dreams, meditation or whatever. It's nothing but pure luck, that's all. And by the way, I don't believe God would give someone the winning numbers to win big in the lottery. Would you want God to cheat, so you could win the Powerball game? God doesn't do things like that. Outrageous!

So what's the harm in that ? ... Just let the people believe in their own faith.  Mega millions website have quite a few interesting stories of how some people come to win. Nobody can prove or disapprove that some type of force could be working behind the scenes.

Yeah like the lady who used the numbers off a Chinese fortune cookie- won close to a Mil. Or the Caucasian couple out here years ago who while passing by a Hindu ritual decide to remove their sandals & walk over the hot burning coals.No burns, some say they were too stoned to know better.Live & let live.

Congrats to the smith Family. I'm amazed with the unity and family love you guys showed to each other. 

I will be writing on my own story once I win the Power ball tonight. On my birthday MAY 14.

i would just like to said congrats to this family you'll know god has favor for this family  i keep that one day this will be a blessingfor me and my family  my life is short and i keep praying i can bless my family before i go just with at least 20,000 dollars but i know god sit high and look low people laugh at me they said that is all u r asking god for i tell them yes cause when there is so much money needed it may look little but it could help more than u think again congrats to this familythe one thing i would like to say to everyone be happy for this family everyone had a chance at this money who wanted it color should not matter just be happy cause in god eyesight we r all one just different by our decision love all

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ErikB14 !!!

"Good in "maths?" Obviously not an English major."

You obviously don't know much about proper English, as it's used in the country that invented it.

As for the overall post, I'm trying to decide if it's a joke or not.

Congrats to the Lucky Family nice start to the Summer.

Lol No wonder Ridge disliked you so much. And that crazy post is filled with spelling errors and a lack of basic sentence construction.

lol...also it is their not there.

KY Floyd, English was not invented in the USA as you stated.  As my English relatives would tell you "you speak American, we speak English".  Example look at their spelling of flavour vs our flavor and many more examples.

Fahrenheit 451,  The temperature at which paper burns. It's also  book by Ray Bradbury, maybe you should try reading it before you decide things you don't agree with should be destroyed.

Welcome to Lottery Post new guy with a closed mind.

Obviously you don't understand why Artist had " Maths" in quotation marks.

I hope you receive the blessing you seek in the coming week.

Congratulations to the Smith Family.

Nice .

It's a beautiful thing when family members think about other family members needs and not of greed.

You forgot to factor in local and state income taxes for NJ. Which according to several sources runs north of 11.2%.

This would amount to another $31.8 million which once deducted from your previous calculation of $75 million ends up leaving the winner a little over $43 million to split 8-ways thus making it about $5million each. This is remarkable because to the typical audience they are known to have won over $429 million.

freaking <snip>s - shud never be allowed to claim any lottery prize

Well, I'm personally all for banning bigots and functional illiterates from claiming any lottery prize, either.

I had a good snicker at the "invented" comment.

Press 1 for English.

Man this is refreshing love seeing people win big jackpots. I am happy for the family just imagine what they're going to do with the money and how comfortable they'll be living. Sooo comfortable. I know i can win a jackpot the same way they did.

Congrats to the Smith family.

Well said Ms. Sully.

Lol

OK you all have been so busy insulting my English post and yes I do not have a degree in English but I am very proud of my English. English is not my first language and igbo is my first language so I think my English is good enough when was the last time any of you posted in Igbo language . I use to think Trump was the most stupid guy but am wrong a lot of them on lottery post too boo :)

I am sorry to hear you are having such a hard time with the English language and perhaps life in general. If Trump is "the most stupid guy" then why is he a billionaire and living the life of luxury and someone smart such as yourself be struggling and dreaming to win a huge lottery prize?

Don't worry about that Joe- what l would like to know is what does the meat of a Nigerian Dwarf Goat taste like? 

Am very happy with my life and i gamble for fun and 75 percent of my winning and income so far has gone to helping people in need around me so i don't consider myself struggling am happy with the life have been dealt like a card . I would have love to answer your comment but unfortunately there are so many things money can buy and there are so many things money cannot buy trump has all that money can buy but what makes him stupid and you are things money cannot buy. Trump could win but he doesn't need to insult innocent people . Some people do that in their homes privately but not on national tv and any messenger from God that calls Second Corinthians  as  two Corinthians may not really be a true messenger from God . God has the strangest way of showing you a disguised Devil so pay attention because God only gives you one evidence don't blink because that message from God is not a mistake just a Devil wardrobe malfunCtion on TV. He  has been able to  get lots of money good for himself and i really do like trump just that there are things money cannot buy and that is what trump doesn't have reasonable manners. There are so many people with money like trump but non behaves like him. Am not a trump hater actually i do like Trump and i will vote for trump for everything in the world including casinos , women pageant ,  and nice hotels but when it comes to the president of the united states someone that at least respect all the people he is about to govern i would not vote for him and if i go in to the poll boot am more likely to stick an African Voodoo pin in his B..t :) And also this is the first Voodoo pin have ever had to stick on anybodies B..t so it may hurt him a little more than usual :)

Dwarf Goat is actually what am planning to do serious Voodoo for Trump with and i will eat it only when Trump losses and does not win LOL

I never was good at picking my own numbers so I hope that one day my QP ticket will give me a nice win.  Congrats to the family having over $10 million in the bank after taxes is a nice sum of money too.-weshar75

If they're smart and truly possess psychic powers, they'll wait till Mega Millions also hits $400 mil plus and pick winning numbers for that too!

I just want to say that the only thing that does not discriminate against anyone is NUMBERS.

Anyone can win a lottery. They don't have to be smart or well educated or have any degrees hanging on their wall. They don't even have to know which (witch) form of there, their,or they're to use in a sentence. And, English might not be their first language, but it doesn't matter.

You don't need to know anything other than (not THEN) to say QUICK PICK PLEASE!!

Congrats to the winners, enjoy the winnings.

JoeBigLotto

" I use to think Trump was the most stupid guy"

I watched a interview where Trump was asked something like,  80% of people don't think you would make a good

president to which Trump replied "over 55,000 negative adds."  The reported then as if waiting for Trump to complete

his response looked confounded when trump then moved on to another subject.   Most people who watched this

think he avoided the question,  Trump's reply went over the reporters head as the reporter was clueless.  Most of

the opinions people have reached concerning Donald Trump are a result of the negative adds and not based in reality. 

The US is sinking and we need a plan,  It's no longer a question about getting wet, the question everyone should be

asking is, are we going to drown?   I keep hearing rants about how the top 1% have more money than the other 99%.

I think the Walton family is worth something like 145 billion.  If we took the Walton billions and divided it among the 350

million people in the US we would all receive around $414.00,  have fun.   What I find sad is that most of these 99% don't

have $414.00 in cash.   I guess it's easier to blame the rich while tweeting on that new smart phone.   

Stupid is, stupid does.

RL

Very articulate post RL.

We are sinking and I'm afraid it may be too late for anybody to save the ship.

I am positive it will take more than a clone politician running the country.

Please don't voodoo Donald Trump. Go after Hillary instead!

weshar75, You are a veteran LP member and you deserve to win Tuesdays' Mega Millions. Thank You for all you have done for our Lottery Post. I know that you will share with others.

 Just remember that Quick Picks win 70% of the time.

Scared of  powerful women? Probably played  a round of golf with a one or several of them and got your lunch handed to you huh golfer? Don't worry- your secret is safe with us! 

Everybody is counting on tough Donald Trump to protect America but you all are forgetting only a female can send terrorist to hell if they are killed by a woman. So now America has a new secret weapon code Hillary/ Hillary drones you all wait and see fun is about to start lol the last thing they all see is her smiling face getting bigger and bigger from the sky 

Great to see ordinary people win and not someone who already have rich. I'm patiently awaiting my time to win a historic jackpot which I believe gonna happen soon. But congrats to The Smith family and I hope that the money doesn't change them for the worst like Marie Holmes who won 188 million and I remember she said the same thing about giving to her church, but in the end she was all over the news for bailing out her drug dealer boyFirend not once but twice I believe. And that made me realize wass she the most deserving winner or not? Well I'm just saying though, but not everyone is the same.

When I win , I'm stepping forward the next day because I already have a plan.

Jimmy8, Marie Holmes bailed out her boyfriend, Hot Sauce, four times. He is now serving a long time in prison. We do not decide who wins. We do not decide how the winner will spend, invest, save, or anything else. We are all at the age of majority "18" or older. 

 I do agree with your statement,"Great to see ordinary people win..."

 What does "stepping forward" mean? Do you mean that you will turn your ticket in the next business day?

Please stay with Lottery Post awhile and you may change your mind.

I think all terrorists  rot in hell regardless of how they die...even if self inflicted. Osama went straight to hell along with his 9-11 minions.

I don't think golfer is scared of playing golf with anyone much less powerful women with immense power who are chronic, habitual liars without an ounce of integrity.

Don't worry- your infatuation of Hillary is safe with us!

Thank you D!!!!

I'll admit it Gate, I've been whooped by a few of them. I'm still trying to get over it.

They all lie regardless of whether they wear a dress or pants. I merely mentioned her being a powerful woman & you somehow deduced that l was a supporter of hers..sheesh. Put this in your pipe and smoke it: l support NO political candidate, male or female..so there.

This will be one of the strangest election in years because people are not going to vote based on who they love but actually who they hate the most. Am a cool black guy rarely get into politics but one time I was in a room with political talks and this grown up fat white dude gets up from his seat and says if Hillary ever wins the election I will shoot myself in the head for onething he won't be voting for Hillary but am thinking Dam I thought you shot yourself already after Obama won oh well maybe Obama care brought him back from coma now it's Hillary that bothers him as long as a white man not white female wins some people have very serious issues and need therapy :)

Golf is won by the person making the least amount of strokes.

I achieve this by not only not owning any clubs, but also by not stepping foot on a golf course to play the game in the first place.

This makes me quite possibly the greatest golfer the planet has ever seen. :)

While I do agree with you that all politicians lie it was pretty obvious that you went after golfer with a condescending comment when he favored a Hillary voodoo doll and not Trump. You have every right to enjoy smoking your pipe but I stay away from that along with any other illegal drugs hence the word "illegal" applies to my state of NC and not your Utopian state of California.

It's ok to come out of the closet no matter what gender or Presidential candidate you support as most here at LP will still embrace you.

Playful banter from me with some of Golfer's comments goes back a bit- of course you would have no knowledge of this. Your comment on NC/ CA..

There is a scene in the movie " The Matrix" where the Oracle says to Neo " l can see why she likes you".. and he responds " who?".. The Oracle while taking a pull from her cigarette says " not too bright though." Peace.

Most bullies have thin skin and don't handle criticism well. It's also not unusual that their own insecurities make them over react to things that aren't even a criticism. Speaking of which, have you learned anything about "maths" recently?

I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt, and assuming that she wrote something coherent that meant what it said. In that case it's very clear why she put it in quotes, and it's very clear that you're not smart enough to understand why the one particular example she used doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Joe's grasp of English.

"The US is sinking and we need a plan"

Here's an idea. Why note vote for politicians who will work to ensure that people who are already doing far better than average will do even better, and hope those people will throw you a bone?

I agree. 

Oh wait. The topic seems to have totally changed. Where can I get one of those Hillary voodoo dolls?

McCain & Newt have boxes of them.Call their respective offices.

D, you're making my heart flutter!!!!

Why do politics have to get in with these posts?  Plenty of other forums to vent your frustrations/views elsewhere.

Anyway I see someone in NJ had five #'s sans Powerplay last night.  Time to visit AC NJ and play the NJ lotto again.

Ok, I'll be the bad guy here and get this thread back on track.

"They plan to tithe 10 percent of the money to their church."

Ouch!  That hurts!  Hopefully somebody ain't buying a mansion, a couple Bentleys and throwing wild parties with that money.  Soooo tempting! LOL.  Congrats to the winner(s)!

Thanks for getting LP back on track.   

Gee, sounds like you were talking about the late David Edwards who split the KY Powerball prize and basically blew the whole thing.  Can still see his news appearance in the back of my mind saying, looking skyward 'Lord I will change my ways'.  Well the rest is history and he didn't.

Lol I'd measure my degrees and writing skills against you any time.

Sully, I think he feels insecure since most of the women on lp make more money than he does. Or he is a wanna be book author, hiding an incoherent draft under his bed and lacking the courage to even approach a publisher or literary agent. A dime a dozen.

lol

All of the Bible is way in the past, but it is very relevant and applicable to today when read in proper context.  My comment is directed at the modern day practice of monetary tithing, which is found nowhere in the Bible.  That is what I meant by "read your Bible folks.  The tithe mentioned throughout the Bible was only agricultural products, and the purposes of the tithe was to 1) provide for the Levites who received no inheritance of land (pastors today own their own homes, stocks, bonds, businesses and other property so they are not Levites), 2) provide for the widows, orphaned and less fortunate people living among them, and 3) to feed the worshippers at the gatherings. The money that is being given as a tithe today largely go to enrich the pastor and to build mega churches, from which the pastor uses the tithe-paid resources to finance other businesses.  And the best part of it all is that it is all TAX EXEMPT! 

So we the people pay taxes...big taxes on lottery winnings while religious corporations pay NO TAXES. 

Additionally, the tithe in the Old Testament was a part of the law and the taxation system that provided for the people.  The amount of the tithe in the Old Testament time varied depending on the year.  Some years, it could be as much as 23 percent of the agricultural increase.  In some years, the tithe was zero when the farmers were commanded to allow their fields to rest (that is where the principle of land use rotation comes from in rural areas).

Now there is nothing wrong with giving an offering of cash to a religious corporation, and the amount of such offering can be any amount or percentage.  But it is wrong for a religious corporation to place percentage requirements on people, and people are misguided if they think they have to give at least 10 percent of their earnings or winnings to a religious corporation.