I Wish What Happened In Atlantic City Stayed in Atlantic City

Why did I go...I was only half serious when I mentioned it in my previous post...what was I thinking!?

Last night, I managed to convince my sister and her fiance to go to...that's right, you guessed it...Atlantic City. I can't even afford scratch off lottery tickets right now, and I'm jeopardizing $200 dollars at blackjack and poker. Well, in an unfortunate twist of fate, I lost ALL $200, something that hasn't happened in a very long time. Blackjack was just brutal, and the people at the poker table were such horrible players that they ended up getting lucky in the worst possible moments of my game. Just pitiful...

Then again, I can't be too upset because the past five or six trips to AC have resulted in winnings of $200-$500 dollars EACH TRIP (my personal best: winning $300 in a little over one hour at the blackjack table during an anniversary trip with Andrea...she's my lucky charm). So, it doesn't hurt so much to lose $200 when I've made thousands over the past year or so...there, I've rationalized the loss...now I can move on with my life.

Speaking of Atlantic City, I'm glad I went while I still have a chance! In case you're not from around NJ, as of July 1st all non-essential functions of government shut down because of an unresolved budget issue between Governor Jon Corzine and several Democrats of the
State Assembly and Senate; if it's not resolved by July 5th, all NJ casinos (that's right, ALL of Atlantic City), NJ beaches, and other state-run recreational facilities will also be shut down. The issue: a 1% increase in the sales tax (from 6% to 7%). In the meantime, thousands of state employees are out of work and getting NO PAY!

Come on NJ Democrats, get it together here and resolve this! Just give Corzine what he wants, especially since many other states have higher sales tax rates, NJ hasn't increased it's sales tax rate in a very long time, New Jersey will be increasing its minimum wage to $7.25 in a couple of months, and I doubt many people would instead like to increase property taxes to bail us out of our multi-billion dollar budget deficit.

Pass the state budget before you start ruining the lives of thousands of hard working state employees...and ruining my good time at the beaches and casinos of New Jersey...actually, do whatever you want with the casinos...they're dead to me.