14th Dec 11

I have just had a great idea to raise money for groups in my local community.

I will create an attractive, welcoming venue and invite all the economically vulnerable people I can find to come along. I will especially seek out people who could really do with a lift in their financial situation, people who aspire to a better way of life but know they just can’t get there on their current income, people who are struggling to make ends meet. I’ll also invite the lonely and socially isolated, everyone who need somewhere they can have some human contact.

When they get there I will give them the opportunity of a lifetime. Every half hour they can each give me, say $50. I will usually give $45 back to them, but just occasionally and in a completely random way I will give someone substantially more, let’s say $500,000.

Just think what a lift everyone will receive from the hope of getting the $500,000! What a difference it would make to their lives. And what fun they will have in the meantime handing over their money and not knowing whether they would get 90% back or a big win. They can carry on for as long as they like, or at least until they run out of money.

Of course I could not give away the $500,000 very often. I would need to cover the cost from the hourly payments I receive from participants. Then there are the necessary overheads. I want to make the venue attractive and comfortable and maybe provide cheap food as an additional attraction. A liquor license would help too of course. As I am expecting a lot of people will be attracted to my little game I shall need space for a big car park and I shall have to employ plenty of staff.

Remember I am not doing this for myself, I am doing it for my community so I will need to make enough to fund some local community groups. Charities and sporting groups would be a good option as they will give my venture a very positive public profile. Naturally I would also have to pay myself as the CEO of the enterprise. I wonder what the going rate would be for such a venture?

I think this will catch on and it will have so many benefits. It will give people hope of striking it lucky and escaping the struggle of poverty. It will create employment. It will support community groups. Why I might even be able to fund my local NRL team, they always seem to be stuck for a dollar.

Mind you I do worry that any local, state or federal government worth a vote will find it just too exploitative of vulnerable people to permit it in their jurisdiction.

What’s that you say? Someone is already doing it? And they have devised machines to take the money?