Theme park politics

There are many important isues to examine today, yet I want to take time out to note the political ramifications of Knott's Berry Farm. Bear with me on this one, because those ramifications go far beyond merely local concerns...

At this time of year, California's second most famous theme park (born before the Mouse House) takes on the persona of "Knott's Scary Farm." The park hires hundreds of local kids, dresses them in elaborate ghoul costumes and has them lurk in every corner.

It's all a lot of fun, especially for an overgrown youngster such as yours truly. In past years, that local talent played to a sell-out crowd each night.

Not last night. The employees seemed to outnumber the patrons.

This bothered me only slightly at first. I was robbed off my favorite excuse not to get on the more vertical rollercoasters: "Oh, the line's too long." Then the deeper implications begn to gnaw: Why hadn't the Orange County theme park attracted more customers?

The local fires, which coated my home with a fine layer of ash, may provide one possibility. But Orange County is quite distant from the fire zone.

Perhaps attendance remained low because this was the first night of the event -- a school night? Hmm. Not so sure about that. I've shown up for this event on previous "first nights," and crowds were thick.

Perhaps the price was too high? Actually, one could pick up tickets for $26 a head (via a fast food promotion). Compare that price to the cost at Disneyland, where tickets go for over $50 per person.

That's when a truly scary thought hit me: Maybe people just don't have any damn money these days.

Last week, pundits discussed the poverty rate under the current administration, compared to the rate under Clinton. The conservatives have tried to argue that Bush's number is lower than Clinton's. Liberals countered that the trend line kept going down under Clinton (who inherited a very high rate), while it keeps going up under W.

But those trend lines tell only part of the story.

Poverty stats do not take into consideration the rising cost of living. Most people in Caifornia are renters, and many renters in California pay twice the amount of money they forked over for n apartment in 1999. Gas has doubled. Food is more expensive. Schooling and insurance and health have all become more dear. The Daily News headline of a couple of days ago announced that a Los Angeles family must acquire an income of at least $70,000 a year just to get by with a reasonable amount of comfort.

Most people don't make that much. Not by a long shot.

Where are the spare bucks for discretionary spending? Who has enough money left over for, you know, fun?

That question is of no small importance to me, because my livelihood depends on whether or not Mr. and Mrs. Average have some spare change in their wallets to spend on non-necessary items. Your job may also depend on that factor.

Bottom line: I suspect that many more people are in poverty today than the statistics indicate. The rightist pundits can't spin away hard times, espcially when we have so many indicators that times will soon become much harder.

Now, I hope I am wrong. I hope the Knotts event does gangbusters this year.

Even so, keep an eye on theme park revenues. As an economic indicator, an entertainment venue of this sort may do the job of the proverbial mine shaft canary.

Also worth noting:

Knott's Halloween Shindig includes the annual "hanging" of a celebrity -- or, rather, of an actor dressed up as a celebrity. This tradition has morphed into an long-ish bit of vaudeville in which dozens of celebrity impersonators come out on stage and dance or sing for a few seconds. Then they are "murdered" before the eyes of an appreciative outdoor audience.

Being ancient, I didn't recognise many of the pop stars parodied on stage. But two figures were quite recognizable.

At one point, "Saddam Hussein" -- in his underwear -- appeared on stage. The actor playing the part clearly expected to receive a loud and long patriotic BOO.

He got nothing. Everyone just shifted uncomfortably. They didn't want to be reminded of an unpopular war.

Then "Karl Rove" came onstage -- carrying a George W. Bush puppet. The crowd roared with derisive laughter. They laughed even louder when "Rove" accounced that he had to "take a leak" -- just before being tossed to his presumed doom.

Pretty damn hip.

Especially when you consider that this crowd (such as it was) was culled largely from the conservative enclave of Orange County. The Knott family, which still runs the park as a private concern (family members work in the shops) used to have a rep for being quite reactionary.

Have times changed? Have the Bushies gone so far that they've started to annoy to good folks of Orange County?

(Incidentally, one of the sideshows featured an "electric lady" who got the Tesla treatment from a "mad scientist" named "Dr. Andrija Phuarich" -- a private joke for CIA-watchers. That was pretty damn hip too!)