City Ordinance 26, Pure Water Conservation Monday, Apr 21 2008

  For those interested in Atlantic City’s environmental concerns and efforts to conserve pure water, read this memo from Public Works Director, Richard Norwood.

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Joseph Polillo Releasing Tax Returns a Sign of Hope Friday, Apr 18 2008

   Atlantic City politics is fraught with corruption.  Within the Mayoral contest Joseph Polillo has sparked a glimpse of hope.  Mr. Polillo’s release of tax returns has sent a ripple through the campaigns preparing for the June primary, in which Mr. Polillo is not involved.  Michael Clark reported:

Polillo, who is running in November’s general election, handed his recently filed 2007 tax returns over to The Press of Atlantic City Tuesday, calling on the other opponents to do the same.

“I expect them to do the same as I did and release their income taxes,” he said Tuesday. “We want to see if everyone is ethically straight with their monies.”

The Press and local commentators have focused on the fact that Mr. Polillo lost money on his Atlantic City historical postcard business in the last fiscal year.  His financial shortcoming has overshadowed the noble nature of his financial disclosure.  National election law require extensive disclosure of assets.  Local election law has more humble disclosure demands.

   Mr Polillo’s financial disclosure is a virtuous act.  His act signifies a desire to return to a prior civility in the public square, which is conspicuously absent from the ad hominem-laden political discourse of today.  We highly doubt that any of Mr. Polillo’s opponents will reply to his challenge to disclose their tax returns before the June primary.  Their behavior is yet another indication of the decline in the political culture. 

   Contrary to being a stunt, Mr. Polillo’s action stands alone in placing principle before political expediency.  His gesture appears to be lost on the other candidates, who clearly are in no hurry to release their financial records.  Lorenzo Langford wants the issue of finances to disappear because he owes taxpayers a significant amount of money.  Both Mayor Scott Evans and Dominic Cappella may release their tax records if Mr. Langford and his competitor do so first.  John McQueen, Jr. is dodging the question and Willie Norwood is on public assistance.

   Thank you for showing us a better political way.  This breed of politicians have no desire to follow your lead.  Yet, your example is there for the next generation of political leader to lead a better and more virtuous public life.

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Stepping Back in Atlantic City Time Monday, Apr 14 2008

   Today’s Atlantic City memory is from Innocent Bystander:

It was Atlantic City in the ’60s. My parents loved cafeterias. Even as a kid, before I realized what “low rent” was, cafeterias felt decidedly low rent to me. Maybe it was the people sitting around us. It certainly wasn’t us. …

We were on vacation–in the pre-gambling days of Atlantic City, when the major attractions were the beach, the ocean, and the Boardwalk, pretty much in that order–but we still watched our pennies.

We frequented two different cafeterias in Atlantic City each vacation, both of them located in chain stores which barely exist these days: Woolworths and McCrory’s. We preferred Woolworths (McCrory’s was a little seedier). …

I am too young to recall the cafeteria days.  I never attended public school and their infamous cafeterias.  Do comment on this post with your memories from the “cafeteria days.”

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Atlantic City Gaming Revenues Down Monday, Apr 14 2008

 The reports are out and Atlantic City casinos are losing revenue.  Rather than give the casinos additional tools to bring in more customers, Atlantic City Councilmen are preventing casinos from bringing in smoking patrons.  The Vice Squad comments:

Since legal casinos opened in Atlantic City in the late 1970s, gambling revenues went up every year — until 2007. The decline continued through the first three months of 2008, with a 6.4% drop relative to the same period last year.

What event(s) coincides with the time frame?  Regional gaming competition and the smoking ban.  Atlantic City cannot stop other sovereign states from opening gaming establishments.  Atlantic City can aid the casino industry in making the town cleaner - which they are not; providing smooth roads - which they are not; and aiding the casinos in attracting patrons, which the smoking ban does not.  The smoking ban dissuades a considerable group of patrons from making the trip, when they can go elsewhere and enjoy smoking while gambling.

   The smoking ban is yet another example of politics done poorly in a city with a long and corrupt track record.  

“Atlantic City”
by Thomas Carlson

  
(Viewing - http://www.mnartists.org/work.do?rid=187397)

Support Mr. Carlson’s work.

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Smokers’ Rights Association Fights Proposed Casino Smoking Ban Wednesday, Apr 9 2008

Smokers’ Rights Association

Contact: Jesse O. Kurtz For Immediate Release

Tel. 609.334.3756

E-mail: smokersra@gmail.com

http://smokersra.wordpress.com

CITIZENS GROUP OPPOSES ANY FURTHER GOVERNMENT-IMPOSED

CASINO SMOKING BAN

500+ People Urge Atlantic City Councilmen to Vote “No” on an Increased Smoking Ban

Smokers Rights’ Association has formed to protest Councilman G. Bruce Ward’s proposed casino smoking ban. The Councilman and his co-sponsors are following the lead of Trenton, incrementally eroding New Jersey’s civil liberties and business rights. Smoking bans attack liberty and harm business in the name of health. The existing City-imposed casino smoking ban is partially responsible for Atlantic City’s recent revenue losses.

The issue of smoking in casinos has three components: 1) health, 2) business, & 3) liberty. There has been a lot of talk about health, speculation about business implications, but as SRA Spokesman Jesse O. Kurtz points out, “Where is the talk about Liberty?” Kurtz asks, “Have people in Atlantic City forgotten about the America promise of freedom?” The proposed smoking ban further encroaches on civil liberties. We will be speaking on the issue at tonight’s City Council meeting.

SRA represents over 500 members, who are against government dictating smoking policy to private business. SRA stands for the existence of smoking, partially-smoking, and non-smoking establishments based on individual choice, not government imposition. Against a well-funded, militant anti-smoking lobby, our organization has enjoyed unprecedented success in the less-than-three weeks we have been established. Taxes and tobacco settlements fund anti-smoking groups; we are a 100% volunteer-based organization.

The SRA is committed to defending the freedoms of smokers in America. We also defend the right for individual businesses to determine if their establishment will permit, partially permit, or prohibit smoking. We are free and should be permitted to make individual decisions that affect our lives. Smoking bans hurt America and Americans. Government bureaucrats imposing smoking bans abandon the power of legal persuasion to convey their anti-smoking agenda. Those government agents seize and expand the power of government to unjustly order society to their ideas of the perfect society. We need to stop the encroachment on civil liberties.

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A Call to Action Tuesday, Apr 8 2008

Atlantic CIty City Council will meet at 5pm on Wednesday, 9 April. They will consider Ordinance 5-A, an ordinance to ban smoking. You are encouraged to come out and support civil liberties and the rights of businessmen. Please come out to the meeting, make signs, and tell Councilmen to vote “no” on any increased smoking ban for Atlantic City Casinos.

Call the different Councilmen a few times before the meeting to tell them to vote “no” on the proposed smoking ban ordinnance.

Councilmen At-Large:

George Tibbitt, 609.347.5241, gtibbitt@cityofatlanticcity.org
John Schultz, 609.347.5243, jschultz@cityofatlanticcity.org
Eugene Robinson, 609.347.6491, erobinson@cityofatlanticcity.org

Ward Councilmen:

6th - Tim Mancuso, 609.347.5238, tmancuso@cityofatlanticcity.org
5th - Dennis Mason, 609.347.5233, dmason@cityofatlanticcity.org
4th - William Marsh, 609.347.5242, wmarsh@cityofatlanticcity.org
3rd - Steven Moore, 609.347.5230, smoore@cityofatlanticcity.org
2nd - Marty Small, 609.347.5231, msmall@cityofatlanticcity.org
1st - G. Bruce Ward, 609.347.5232, bward@cityofatlanticcity.org

It is not yet a lost cause. There are four Councilmen supporting the ban: Moore, Robinson, Tibbitt, & Ward. It would be good to support those Councilmen not sponsoring this infringement on liberty and abuse of government. Focus on offering encouragement to Councilmen Schultz, Mason, Mancuso, Small, and Marsh to vote “no” on the proposed smoking ban.

Some talking points to consider are that this issue divides in to three parts: health, business, and freedom. It is good to promote information about how different products and types of behavior promote or detract from good health. It is another issue for government to come in and “protect” people from their own choices. We live in a society that demands responsible citizens. When we baby our businesses and citizens we will have a weaker community and business climate.

There are arguments for and against the smoking ban. Some think that the ban will be good for business and others think it will be bad. It is good to have these discussions and seek out the truth. The fact remains, however, that it is a gamble to deny a significant group of regular customers the ability to smoke and gamble. We do not know what will happen. If anything, the diminished profits since a majority of Casino area has been made smoke-free would indicate that the government ban is bad for business. Regardless, it should be the decision of the business owner to make decisions that have a vital effect on his ability to employ people and earn a living.

Finally, it is an abuse of government to force all businesses (Casinos) to ban smoking in their establishments. No one is forcing anyone to work in a casino. No one is forcing anyone to visit a particular casino. The individual casinos should be able to decide if they are going to be smoking, partially-smoking, or non-smoking. People who hate smoke and smokers can patronize the smoke-free casinos. But how pretentious is it to prevent smokers the right to have a place to socialize in public?  Are they really second-class citizens? I thought that we lived in a land of liberty and freedom. Yet liberty and freedom are thrown out the window when it comes to the issue of smoking. We are still Americans in casinos and we should certainly act like Americans in Atlantic City.

I call on the people reading this to call, write, protest, attand the meeting, and do whatever is necessary to stop this further government intrusion in to our lives.

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