Article January 24, 2000 ISSUE

Dreaming of something for nothing?

Freebies aren't all they're cracked up to be.

By Candace du Mars

ACCORDING TO a recent study, one quarter of Americans are playing the lottery in the hope that their winnings will provide ample retirement funds, yet their actual chances of winning are ten-to-twenty million to one. Nearly impossible odds. What's worse is that in spite of such slim chances of getting something for nothing, people still believe—even hope and pray—that that's just what will happen. Some hope that they'll win the lottery, others wait for an inheritance, and still others wish and pray that sweepstakes, raffles, or free giveaways will bring the windfall of their dreams.

The problem with the something for-nothing dream is that it's a waiting played out on the turf of the future, while the present is spent waiting (and waiting and waiting) around for tomorrow's good. It's like waiting to pass "Go" in the game of Monopoly while at the same time never moving your token around the board.