Gomers -- What's going wrong

BAD PRECEDENT TO SET: We understand why the Quaker plant co-workers - “The Shipping 20” - want to remain anonymous after they won the biggest-ever lottery prize in Iowa. The $241 million Powerball jackpot nets each member a lump sum of about $5.6 million. They want privacy in hopes of avoiding the negative attention that can come with such a huge amount. But the group, organized as a trust, plans to take legal action so its members don't have to divulge their names publicly. It's the first time an Iowa winner has taken such a step. Iowa Lottery officials say the names are public by law. For good reasons. The Lottery is a government-run agency. The state collects revenue - $1.3 billion since the Lottery's launch in 1985 - that funds programs for Iowans. The rules protect against fraud and scams. The original enabling legislation was vetoed twice by Gov. Terry Branstad before it met the transparency test. The rules for this “voluntary tax” are spelled out. If an exception is made, albeit a benign bunch by appearances, then what? Remember, too, in January, another trust with the winning ticket to the Hot Lotto jackpot requested anonymity, then later withdrew. A criminal probe in that case continues.