Although the media is currently preoccupied with Powerball fever as the jackpot approaches $300 million, there are other kinds of lotteries.

Consider the $5.2 million payoff, agreed to by the Los Angeles Archdiocese and Orange Diocese, to compensate Ryan DiMaria for two incidents of molestation in 1991. Please note that this absurdly high figure represents a settlement, not a judgment. Insiders say that there was a mad rush to settle, to prevent Cardinal Roger Mahony from being deposed.

There may not be tears in heaven, but the communion of saints is surely lamenting just how far the currency of leadership has fallen. The Church, renowned for heroes, martyrs, healers, and genius scholars over the centuries, now pays out millions to save the sorry backside of an over-promoted bureaucrat, who should have taken his medicine.

One can hardly blame the good Catholics of Los Angeles or Orange County for being a wee bit reluctant to open their checkbooks when the next fund-raiser comes along, seeing that $5.2 million can be blown off so nonchalantly. But, there are more to be held accountable.

The plaintiff himself knows full well that the molestation was the best thing that ever happened to him. The two unwanted sexual advances became his two lottery tickets, and he won big. What makes all this so pathetic is that molestations by clergy are extremely rare events, compared to the flagrant sexual predation--homosexual and heterosexual--that occurs in the entertainment industry all the time. Don't hold your breath waiting for a sexual harassment lawsuit against that industry in this town...

As it stands, DiMaria is fixed for life, and represents the new American way. Why work, strive, suffer, struggle, learn, and succeed, when you can hit the giant score?

While we're at it, don't forget Richard Boeken, whose $3 billion award against Philip Morris was reduced to a mere $100 million. Who could expect Boeken to know that smoking is dangerous to health? Why should he be responsible for his own actions? And before you talk to me about "addiction," I'll tell you that I don't believe that such a condition exists. It simply comes down to this: Is it that he CAN'T stop or WON'T stop? There is no more powerful incentive than understanding that a certain behavior will kill you. Would he have stopped if someone had given him $100 million?

Another form of lottery involves sports and entertainment. Only a tiny fraction of those who enter this casino ever make it, but untold thousands ruin their lives every year, certain that they will be the next star.

Meanwhile, our pervasive socialistic Federal government is loving it! The Feds have no problem at all letting a few thousand folks strike it rich every year. They'll still have to pay the taxes, but even better, they provide gobs of false hope to the gullible public. And, as the average American loses any sense of incentive and drive, the Feds are quite pleased to raise taxes, and control their lives a bit more every year.

So you see, the lottery mentality is the grease that allows the Federal leviathan to move ever forward, crushing freedom in its path.

You be sure to have a happy life, Ryan.

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