Boardwalk Empire

"You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time." — Harvey Dent, "The Dark Knight"

I have never been to Atlantic City, New Jersey, but I became a little fascinated with it when watching the show "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO. The show, which is a fictional account of the city during the era of prohibition, offered a fascinating look and appreciation for Atlantic City in its prime. So when I was at Barnes & Noble and found a book called "Boardwalk Empire" by Nelson Johnson, I was intrigued.

Though the show offers a fictionalized version of one era of the city, Johnson's book offers a fascinating look at the rise and fall of Atlantic City through the years. The book begins in the 1800s and moves all the way through the modern, Donald Trump era for the city. As I read, an interesting pattern emerged.

Initially little Absecon Island was thought of as a health resort. But, soon, that image changed, and Atlantic City was born. Reading the chronicle of the history of the town — and the corruption and various bosses that ran the organizations that controlled government and vice in the city — some interesting thoughts emerged to me — the city was better off with corrupt regimes.

Of course, that thought wasn't super original. In his final chapter, and again in his afterword, Johnson seems to indicate a similar feeling. His pointed analysis is that the government in the golden days might have been a shame, but at least they looked after all the citizens and provided for those in need. The government now is legitimate, and so, too, is the suffering of many of the citizens.

This, to me, points to a failing of our government today. It's easy to romanticize the way our government has always been, but reading the recitation of the history of Atlantic City, it was hard not to be struck by the corruption that had reached every level and every area of city and county operations. And it was widely known and generally accepted. And, things were pretty good for the average person.

Over the years, the city worked to root out corruption — which though it should be a good thing — seems to have made living conditions worse for many citizens. It's an odd dichotomy, and my feeling is that Atlantic City isn't unique. The difference between the boss rule and the traditional government structure is the investment in the people. Under boss rule, keeping people happy was a necessity to keep things going. Now, it's more about special interest dollars.

This was one of the themes of "The Wire," and it's a theme in "The Godfather." One can't help but wonder if the fact that this theme continues to arise in the history of our country and in popular culture if it isn't an engrained part of the fabric of America. The question is, can we do anything to change it.