Specific Purpose: To persuade my listeners to support having a lottery in Alabama.
             Central Idea: A lottery in Alabama would greatly benefit our state's education program.
             Each one of us is aware that the education system in Alabama is in great trouble. We are ranked close to the bottom of the list when it comes to having a good education program. It seems that out public school systems are getting worse as the years go by. Taxes, Pro-ration, and lotteries are a few things that have been greatly affecting the school systems in Alabama today. In 1999 the state of Alabama voted on whether or not we should have a lottery. The lottery was not passed. If Alabama had passed the lottery, our education program would be greatly improving. Today I am going to tell you about the problems that having a lottery in Alabama causes, and the solutions to these problems.
             (Transition: Let's begin by looking at some of the problems caused by not having a lottery.)
             I. Former Governor Don Siegalman was greatly in favor of passing a lottery in Alabama.
             A. The lottery would be in order to benefit the state's education program
             B. After much debating over whether or not to have a lottery, Siegalman's idea was not passed.
             1. Because of this, Alabama's education program continues to deteriorate.
             C. Many problems arise because of the fact that Alabama does not have a lottery.
             1. Thirty-seven states have passed a lottery.
             2. We are one of the few states that does not have one in order to help our schools.
             3. An article in the New York Times states that, "In a state where spending on public education has traditionally lagged near the bottom in national rankings, lottery supporters said that it would be the only way to improve funding, particularly with voters opposed to any new taxes."
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