Friday, December 14, 2007

Kentucky Lottery Winner could have stayed anonymous, says author of lottery book.

Kentucky Lottery Winner could have stayed anonymous, says author of lottery book.

For further information contact:

Don McNay

don@donmcnay.com

www.donmcnay.com

For Immediate Release:

Linville Lee Huff of Bullitt County Kentucky was the winner of the December 12, 2007 $33.8 million Powerball Jackpot. Huff claimed the cash option of $16.8 million.

As reported in a (Louisville) Courier Journal article, Mr. Huff had requested that his cashing of the winning ticket remain anonymous. However, his name was obtained by the Courier Journal after it made an open records request to the Kentucky lottery.

“There are a variety of ways Mr. Huff could have protected his identity,” said Richmond Ky. author and lottery expert, Don McNay. “He could have had advisors set up a trust or a corporation.”

“There are Kentuckians who have protected their identity by setting up corporations,” said McNay. “A $148 million Powerball winner in Ohio protected his or her identity by setting up a trust.”

McNay is the author of the recently released book, Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What To Do When You Win The Lottery. The book is published by RRP International and can be found at www.sonofagambler.com

“I wish Mr. Huff had sought advice, read my columns or had a copy of my book,” said McNay. “

McNay has written extensively about lottery winners and offer three tips for lottery winners:

1. Never let anyone know you have won. “Winning the lottery is a life changing experience,” said McNay. “Several well known lottery winners, like Jack Whittaker in Hurricane, West Virginia, who have run into legal and financial difficulty after publicizing their lottery winnings.”

2. Before you cash a ticket, seek out advisors. “There are attorneys, financial advisors and trust officers who have expertise in dealing with the legal, financial and tax implications of winning the lottery,” said McNay.

3. Take the payments over 30 years instead of the cash option. “Although more than 90% of lottery winners take the cash option, there are a number of financial planning and tax advantages to taking payments over time,” said McNay.

“I does not look like Huff followed any of the three rules,” said McNay. “It is estimated that over 90% of people who win large lottery amount spend all of their money in five years or less. I hope that Mr. Huff is not one of those people.”

Articles and books to reference:

Son of a Son of a Gambler: Winners, Losers and What To Do When You Win The Lottery

www.sonofagambler.com

What to do when you win the lottery

http://www.donmcnay.com/content/view/224/9/

Life’s a Dance for Lottery Winners

http://www.donmcnay.com/content/view/56/9/

Bullitt County man won $33.6M Powerball jackpot

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071214/ZONE10/71214032

Powerball winner, who bought $33.6 million ticket in Bullitt, requests anonymity

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007712140416

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Could Fletcher Have Been Where Huckabee Is ?

Could Fletcher Have Been Where Huckabee Is ?

It could have been me standing there with you.

It could have been me and my dreams coming true.

-Billy Ray Cyrus

He is the last Republican Governor of a southern state that normally elects Democrats. The last Democratic Governor was involved in a highly publicized extramarital affair

A former Baptist minister, the Governor is known for taking conservative positions on social issues. He has a low key and genial manner. He is known for advocating a healthy lifestyle.

No, I am not talking about Mike Huckabee of Arkansas. I am talking about Ernie Fletcher of Kentucky.

Huckabee is a front runner for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Fletcher lost his bid for re-election by a huge margin.

Could Fletcher have been a presidential front runner like Huckabee?

Shortly after Fletcher came into office, there were rumbling about his being a national candidate.

Along with his stint as a minister, Fletcher has been a physician and a fighter pilot. He served in Congress and the state legislature. Huckabee’s resume is not as broad.

Kentucky is strategically more important in a presidential race than Arkansas. Kentucky has more electoral votes than Arkansas and borders on some of the most important “swing” states like Ohio and Illinois.

Since Lyndon Johnson in 1964, every elected president has come from the south or from the west. The perceived Republican front runners have been Rudolph Giuliani and Mitt Romney. Giuliani is from New York, which has not had a president since FDR, and Romney is from Massachusetts, which elected John Kennedy in 1960.

You don’t meet many guys named Rudolph or Mitt in the states where recent presidents have come from. Names like Mike, Ernie, John or Jim-Bob are more popular.

Although John McCain has experience and is a courageous war hero from a western state, his campaign has had problems. Fred Thompson is showing that he is a much better politician in the movies than he is in real life.

I thought Thompson would fill the void for a southern candidate but the charisma he shows as an actor is not coming through on the campaign trail.

Thus, there is an opening for a southern, conservative. An opening that Mike Huckabee has taken advantage of.

It could have been Huckabee and it could have been the Ernie Fletcher that Kentucky thought they elected in 2003.

It’s easy to see how Fletcher could have been the presidential frontrunner and Huckabee sitting at home.

What happened?

Fletcher’s downfall as Governor is traced back to what is termed a “merit system scandal” in his administration. Actually, it is simpler than that: Fletcher’s downfall is tied to a personality flaw. He took criticism far too personally.

As the Godfather said, “it business, not personal.” Fletcher must have missed the movie and the book. With Fletcher, criticism of his policy became a personal insult. The deliverer of the criticism became a personal enemy.

Thus, Fletcher had a lot of enemies.

If Fletcher had apologized for his “merit system scandal” it went have went away in about 15 minutes. Instead he burrowed in and waged a long and personal attack against the prosecutor.

A brilliant strategy that got Fletcher and a bunch of his cronies indicted.

Fletcher never “got it”. He held a pep rally when he pardoned his cronies. The average citizen doesn’t think the issuance of gubernatorial pardons is something to cheer about. Fletcher’s inability to grasp public perception, combined with a well run campaign by his opponent, resulted in Fletcher getting walloped at the polls.

Getting stomped did not make Ernie more reflective. Every other Governor, even the one who was caught in the extramarital affair, took time to meet with reporters and do a final “exit interview.” Fletcher turned down some requests and granted others. I guess he is trying to “punish” reporters by refusing their interviews.

The reporters will be in Frankfort next week. Fletcher won’t be. Fletcher had a chance to define his historic legacy and screwed it up.

Huckabee and Fletcher were both Baptist ministers but Huckabee understood that part of the Bible about “turning the other cheek.”

If Fletcher had studied that passage more closely, he might have been in the running for President.

Instead of being unemployed.

Don McNay is the author of the Unbridled World of Ernie Fletcher. You can write to him at don@donmcnay.com or read his award winning syndicated column at www.donmcnay.com