


We all know that ten million dollars “ain’t what it used to be,” (perhaps it would be more appropriate to say “we all could imagine that ten million…”).

Today’s Gallup poll asks the question “if you won $10 Million in the lottery would you keep on working?” Surprisingly over two thirds of Americans say they would keep on working and the number is rising.

Two-thirds of American workers say they would continue working even if they won $10 million in the lottery, while 31% say they would stop. This desire to keep working after enjoying a financial windfall is higher today than in three earlier Gallup measures, all prior to the 2008-2009 recession.

These data are from Gallup’s Aug. 7-11 Work and Education survey. In each of the three previous times Gallup asked this lottery question, the percentage saying they would quit after winning $10 million ranged from 39% to 44%.

This value American workers appear to place on working clearly plays out in reality, as some winners of the recent $448 multistate Powerball lottery did indeed decide to keep working. Susan Nickel, 63 years old, was one of the winners in New Jersey, but told reporters that while she would urge her husband to retire, she, personally, would continue working. On the other hand, winner Paul White of Minnesota was representative of the minority of workers across the country, saying he didn’t “want to work for anybody else for the rest of my life for a paycheck.”

This research leaves some important questions.  First are the numbers going up because of the American values of hard work, etc., are they going up because in these economic times when people are having such a hard time finding/keeping their jobs that people cling to their vocations?

Perhaps the number is going up because people realize that under our progressive leadership that more of that $10 million will disappear into the abyss of government spending or that they need to build a bigger nest egg because under Obamacare when they get older they will have to spend more money out-of-pocket for their medical care as the death panels refuse to cover their necessary treatments.

I know some people win big and become reckless party people, start drinking, blowing their money on expensive toys, etc.  That wouldn’t be me!  So sure am I that my lifestyle wouldn’t change, I pray to God every day to test me with a few million dollars.

My wife says that if we hit it big in the lottery she would still get up early every morning to go to work.  Respectfully I told her that if we won she should be very quiet in the mornings (so she wouldn’t wake me up). I would call the boss at my “real” job to let them know I wasn’t coming in till the money ran out and would finally be able to write full time (although my first post in the morning might come a little later in the day).

The real question is what would YOU do? Leave a comment and let us know.

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