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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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101689
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10168900.068
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1990-09-19
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LETTERS, Page 8BOARDWALK OF BROKEN DREAMS
"Atlantic City is a nightmare. It's not fun; it's just plain
sad."
Barbara T. Hollar
Alloway, N.J.
Whether Atlantic City's casinos are good or bad is not the
point (AMERICAN SCENE, Sept. 25). Casino operations and resort
hotels have provided thousands of jobs and poured into the city's
coffers millions of dollars that would otherwise not have been
there. The idea that private businesses that move into economically
depressed areas should become responsible for redevelopment is a
socialistic concept. Don't moralize about the entrepreneurs who
have developed the casinos.
Tony A. Zarkos
Newport Beach, Calif.
I work in Atlantic City. The place is all you say and more.
Drugs are everywhere. The crime rate is high. Prostitution is in
plain view, day or night. You can't walk the streets alone after
dark. On the other hand, I have learned a lot from a career in the
casino industry. This may sound cold, but I don't feel sorry for
people who come to this city, blow their life savings and end up
seeking help at the Rescue Mission. The casinos need employees. Let
them work.
Debbie S. Kaspar
Bridgeton, N.J.
A psychiatrist may charge $100 for a session that lasts less
than an hour. The slot machines at Trump Castle cost much less: $40
provides two or three hours of play at a quarter machine and even
more time if I am lucky enough to get one that takes nickels. I eat
free with a coupon and sometimes see a show with another coupon.
Whether I win or lose is incidental. Participating in the
excitement of the casino transports me into a world of
make-believe. I come home refreshed. I advise everyone who has
problems to try Atlantic City therapy. It works!
Marion Saltz
Jericho, N.Y.
Atlantic City is free enterprise at its worst. I am amazed by
the crowds of people who flock to that haven of broken dreams and
spend hours pulling the levers of mindless slot-machine games in
pursuit of a chance at winning a fortune.
Milda K. Lietuvninkas
Darien, Conn.
The casinos may be showing a lack of civic responsibility, but
the residents of Atlantic City shouldn't just wait around to be
pampered. They need to realize that if aid is to come, they must
first begin to help themselves. Once the prospect of profit appears
in deteriorated neighborhoods like the Inlet, the casinos will
propel economic progress in them.
Steven Lavelle
Levittown, N.Y.