Trip Report

[FAA]

Speed bump day. My worst day in a while, but I resisted ATM option. The cards refused to come all session. I racked up twelve useless TC for my trouble. Ladies on dollar DDB and Joker Poker were holding their own. I consider myself 2% closer to the 40,000 before the RF appears. Magical thinking, granted.

[DaBurglar]

i used to fly into AC every couple of weeks to play, it was the highlight of my month. i looked past the city's bleakness and less than friendly staff, because it offered a good value. i stopped a couple of years ago, now i go once/twice a year, hoping to see improvement and have not seen it yet. there are some who are defensive about AC and i understand. no one wants to hear their city being criticized. but, a combination of casino greed and another poorly run democrat city, has led to where it is today. it did not happen overnight and i doubt that those who are in charge, really understand what they did or how to fix it.   failure is not always bad, if we learn from it. fresh ideas, refocusing on how to do it right, giving the customer value would help the city and the casino business. AC is still the only city in the east, located wihin a reasonable driving distance of millions of people, with a beautiful ocean, with multiple casinos, surely it could should be a successful gaming destination.     i am glad to hear you are still net postive for the last ten years. but, this is the problem i have with dancer and others who proclaim the same longgggg term positive results. it is difficult to find those who are net positive over the more recent years, when the machines changed.Great GREAT post until you tacked on the jab about Democrats specifically being a UNIQUE factor (or cause) of where Atlantic City is today......Everything else in this post is spot on and correct (in my opinion of course....)Politics has nothing to do with AC's situation, and everything to do with what you mentioned, namely Greed, corruption, incompetence and the human capacity to stick collective heads in the sand and refuse to think Long term and endure a little pain now in order to avoid a lot of pain later on......BOTH parties have shown equal and ample capacity for all of these undesirable traits, with their own unique ways of manifesting them.In point of fact though, if you insist on politicizing this issue, you wil find that, in the more recent history (past 10 years) it has been the Republican Administrations in Trenton and not the city that have contributed the MOST to AC's total collapse.  Thank you Mr Christie!

[notes1]

detroit, baltimore, buffalo, cleveland, chicago, newark, st.louis, oakland, cincinnati, milwaukee, camden, gary,bridgeport, birmingham, etc, all beacons of prosperity, safety and all run by...... in the interest of full disclosure, i was born and spent 30 years in the buffalo suburbs. lifetime and disappointed bills fan (should have beats the giants in their first super bowl-wide right). love the people, go back to visit often. but, many of these cities have had liberal administrations since ww2.  what is the definition of insanity, keep doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. 

[Carcounter]

I'll go back to a post I made before. AC is about to be taken over by the state as far as their finances go. Have lived in NJ for over 30 years and the state has been good to me and my family. Have a successful engineering business, my 2 daughters got good educations and are now doing very well and could even afford to buy houses in an expensive market. So I have no reason to be negative from a personal standpoint, but have seen so much corruption in my line of work, it is hard to see why people want to do business here. Pay to play is still rampant throughout the state, in spite of new laws etc. Both Democrats and Republicans do it depending upon which part of the state you are in. Since it is a majority Democrat state, there are more democrats involved and in my experience they seem to have less shame in pulling off some of their shenanigans. How about the mayor of a medium sized suburban town holding 4 official positions with an annual take of 400-500K. Not bad work if you can get it.

[DaBurglar]

detroit, baltimore, buffalo, cleveland, chicago, newark, st.louis, oakland, cincinnati, milwaukee, camden, gary,bridgeport, birmingham, etc, all beacons of prosperity, safety and all run by...... in the interest of full disclosure, i was born and spent 30 years in the buffalo suburbs. lifetime and disappointed bills fan (should have beats the giants in their first super bowl-wide right). love the people, go back to visit often. but, many of these cities have had liberal administrations since ww2.  what is the definition of insanity, keep doing the same thing over and over, and expecting a different result. I'm not defending democrats, I'm just saying this blanket simplistic assertion that "liberals" are to blame for everything is preposterous and just plain WRONG.   Somewhere in your deepest levels of understanding, I know you know that the problems facing USA society on all levels (state, local and federal) where government is involved are so complex and so multifaceted and so LONG in the making that to just blame one party (or even one political philosophy) is not only simplistic but just plain dishonest......to put it in terms you might be more palatable with, I would react the SAME if someone tried to blame republicans for everything.   You want to blame the entire mess on "liberals" who give free stuff to people who do not want to work......I say that such a problem, to the extent that it even exists, is such a SMALL drop in the bucket it almost no longer matters these days.     To just look at the first city on your list, Detroit, anyone who knows history and business knows that starting in the late 1960s, a combination of forces and events began virtual disintegration of the US Auto Industry (and all its supporting subcontractors and suppliers)  that really never fully came to a stop, and resulted in the city of detroit imploding.   The vietnam war caused a boom for detroit from 1964 until 1970, when all of a sudden the gravy train stopped.....while Vietnam was raging the American Auto industry was buoyed on the backs of massive government defense spending; the Domestic auto industry segment of detroit was stagnant in its modernization and development of cars while JAPAN and GERMANY, fully recovered from WWII, were leaping ahead in terms of modernization, fuel economy and all other aspects of Domestic Auto development.     Thus when the OPEC OIL crisis of 1973 shot the legs out from under the US economy, Detroit and its auto industry was totally unprepared, and lost HUGE HUGE amounts both trying to catch up and doing a piss poor job of doing so......Detroit never really recovered from that massive shift in forces, and thanks to a inept government response of BOTH PARTIES at both the city and state levels, the crisis worsened.   The tax base(s) all dried up which meant ANY spending suddenly became suspect, and we all know politically when things go bad and times are tight it is the lower classes who shoulder the blame.           Add in to this mix a HUGE wild card, the United Auto Workers Union (comprised mostly of WHITE workers)  in the 1960s and 1970s who pretty much demanded and GOT just about every absurd and bloated and excessive demand and benefit they requested from management and government that was "Afraid" of them, and you thus have a recipe for total disaster.   In fact, one HUGE reason the Ford, GM and Chrysler plants failed to "keep up" with Japan and Germany in the crucial areas of Fuel economy and Safety in the early to mid 1970s was the Unions not wanting to "learn" too much or "change" too much all at once.   Seriously, when workers in Japan and Germany were willing to go to school to learn new things and methods and technology, US workers as part of their "union" thumbed their nose and counted the days until they retired with full pension and healthcare. Now, add into THAT mix the fact that, during its gravy train days, all those WHITE MIDDLE CLASS workers moved OUT of the cities and into the suburbs, taking a lot of their taxes with them, while INTO their places in the city moved lower income people.    You see where that is going?     NOW add on the problem you already touched upon, with ALL US cities being burdened with bloated pension systems with healthcare costs of aging retirees who are living way way WAY beyond what anyone predicted or projected in the 1950s and 60s when they came up with these plans, and VOILA!   Detroit, and many other US cities are Bankrupt.And it is NOT due to liberals giving black people and all their babies free food and rent......FYI-  Just so everyone does understand, things like welfare, food stamps and even Social Security, are things that get SPENT and stimulate the economy thus generating taxes etc etc.   When a Billionaire (or any wealthy person really) PARKS his Billions offshore or in a Swiss Bank, guess how that helps or benefits the USA???   Nada......

[notes1]

.FYI-  Just so everyone does understand, things like welfare, food stamps and even Social Security, are things that get SPENT and stimulate the economy thus generating taxes etc etc.   .
a line directly from the liberal talking points.  if the giveaways you advocate are so effective at stimulating the economy, our country must be doing really well. why not double the amount?  workers put their own money and money from their employer into SS. why do we always hear about SS running out of funds, but there is no end to social assistance programs, that many who collect, have never paid into. nearly 50% of all federal tax filers pay nothing toward federal taxes, which fund these social programs. create dependency, no demands for responsibility, keep spending other people's money, has/is working so well.

[DaBurglar]

a line directly from the liberal talking points.  if the giveaways you advocate are so effective at stimulating the economy, our country must be doing really well. why not double the amount? That is NOT the point I was making and NOT how it works...but you know that.  What I meant was that THIS type of government spending is NOT nearly as bad or wasteful as, say, outdated or unneeded farm programs and subsidies;  bailouts for wall street banks and moronic, idiotic management at companies like Ford, GM and AGI;  AND, ;bombs, missles and tanks which are things that get built and spent (at exorbitantly wasteful cost levels by the way) and THEN you hope to hell you do NOT have to use them.....where's the return on that?  Oh right, we feel "safer"......    Read all about assymetric warfare and then tell me how safe you feel having the "super cool" F-35 jets zooming over your head (assuming they even get off the ground, which is a HUGE if for the BILLIONS AND BILLIONS wasted so far....seriously, go ahead and read about THAT weapons "program" and then talk to me about government waste)    Also, these social assistance "giveaways" domestically that you despise so much are a mere Pittance to what the country has now, in little more than a decade,....SUNK....into two places on the other side of the world where everyone hates us even more now than ever.....look it up, the totals BLOWN in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Taxpayer money, GONE.     TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS......and TRILLIONS.   And you seriously want to ***** about giving poor people (regardless of how or why they are poor) a Billion or two a YEAR just so they do not starve,....?
workers put their own money and money from their employer into SS. why do we always hear about SS running out of funds, but there is no end to social assistance programs, that many who collect, have never paid into. nearly 50% of all federal tax filers pay nothing toward federal taxes, which fund these social programs. create dependency, no demands for responsibility, keep spending other people's money, has/is working so well.SSI is not running out of money, the Government is......in the Social Security reform act of 1983, the Huge Social Security surplus that then existed (i.e. payroll taxes greatly exceeded what was being paid out to retirees and disabled workers, hence a huge surplus) was "moved" into Treasury bonds, thus in essence, the US government took that money and "Spent it" and put in its place BONDS which would be utilized to pay off future social security demands if and when the time ever came (since continued payroll taxes plus the INTEREST from those treasury bonds used to replace the SSI funds was still more than enough to pay obligations....that is until a few years ago, when due to the "unforeseen" situation of massive numbers of people retiring at once and living way way wayyyy longer than anyone ever thought possible!)So now, very soon, government will have to start selling (or cashing) some of the ACTUAL treasury bonds issued in lieu of the SSI surplus funds, which will thus MASSIVELY increased federal debt unless taxes are (finally) raised to the levels they need to be, or NEWER more expensive Bonds are issued thus raising the debt even more, etc etc.   See where this is going?    This is not a LIBERAL/conservative issue......this is called REALITY.   This is called LIFE, which requires changes and adjustments on SOMEONE's part.....Now let me ask you this since you are clearly a devoted conservative....what was going on in 1983?     Hint:   Some guy named reagan was in the process of massive defense hikes while cutting taxes, thus causing a HUGE balloon in the federal deficit and debt.   Solution?  Instead of raising taxes which is what any sane fiscal mind would do, the government "FOUND" a way to get around that issue, by utilizing the SSI surplus in the way I just outlined......something which, by the way, was NEVER intended when the program was created and administered during its first 45 years or so......Hence, we can thank Republican Supply side/trickle down Voodoo economics for starting this snowball down the mountainside.......

[Carcounter]

I don't mind paying my fair share of taxes, and I have. Here in NJ, the suburban taxpayer pays what I believe are the highest property taxes in the country. A lot of that goes to poorer places like Camden, Newark, AC etc. That's OK, but shouldn't we then at least have a say in how it gets spent? I'd like to see it spent on more Charter schools and choices for parents on where to send their kids to school. Not thrown down a rathole.

[DaBurglar]

I don't mind paying my fair share of taxes, and I have. Here in NJ, the suburban taxpayer pays what I believe are the highest property taxes in the country. A lot of that goes to poorer places like Camden, Newark, AC etc. That's OK, but shouldn't we then at least have a say in how it gets spent? I'd like to see it spent on more Charter schools and choices for parents on where to send their kids to school. Not thrown down a rathole.You do have a say.....that is why we have elections.    The problem is the people you elect, democrat or republican, once they get into office, simply do whatever the hell they want and what is in their OWN interest first, not the community they represent.   Surely you must  know this at least....?    Also, we do live in a democracy so majority is supposed to rule.....well guess what?   As the MAJORITY of people become poorer and poorer due to a rigged social, justice and economic system (and I am talking about anyone not in the top 10% which includes people of all stripes and creeds, color and religion), what do you think ultimately will happen to the governments that get elected?     Why do you think wealthy people like Adelson and the Kochs spend do much of their money (and time) trying to get "their" guys elected?The sad fact is though, as is the case with conservative republicans, moderates, etc.......even with so called "reform" candidates (like Sanders) or candidates that run on so called "liberal" platforms or agendas, once they get elected and in office, the lobbyists and special interests come calling and they all see what can be done for themselves, and poof.....there goes any real chance of fairness or reform.

[notes1]

CC, i may be wrong, but you sound conflicted. you are grateful for what you have attained, accept your responsibility to contribute your share to those in need, but question whether your money is being spent wisely. if so, there are millions who feel the same. sounds like you have your own business. that means lots of responsibilities, knowing you must live within your means and making decisions that may not always be popular. folks like me, just want the government and the rest of society to do the same. instead, when one makes that request, i am accused of being uncaring, greedy or racist. i have paid SS taxes for 46 years, paid state/federal taxes for 44 years continously and paid school taxes for 38 years, with no children ever attending public schools. never received a single penny directly from the government.  i do not know when it started, but somewhere along the line, it became ok to blame someone else for everything that goes wrong in one's life and demand that society make up for our own mistakes. whether it be a bank that operated foolishly or someone who over spent/over borrowed, those of us who pay taxes are expected to make it right.  if we give money to folks who have multiple children out of wedlock, they will continue to do it, if we do not offer school choice and demand parental involvement, poor performance will continue. if someone chooses to go to some over priced college, get heavily in debt, why am i suposed to pay for it?