When The 9,000,000 Branson Visitors Go Home!

In a few weeks those responsible for Branson's pubilicity will be reporting that 2009 was a great year for Branson. In recent years the claims boasted high seven figure visitor counts, although, to my knowledge, they have never identify how the counts are made.  There will be no dispute that, whatever the count, vacationers came in droves, bringing profits for businesses and wages for the minimally skilled local work force.  Then after the early December Christmas crescendo, a regrettable thing happened.......the visitors all went home and the business owners all closed down.    For the mid four figure local workforce  who were barely scraping by in season, Christmas means only 90 days of desperation.  Their part time employee status precludes unemployment benefits and it is uneconomical for them to drive to Springfield in search of work.  A few catch on with temp services doing residential repairs and a few squeeze in a Walmart or McDonalds.  Many just shut down and extract subsistence from the public/private charity resources.  The notable exception to this annual pattern of unproductiveness is the legion of landscaping crews who manicure Branson's timeshares, restaurants and upscale residences.  They cut wood!  Indeed this year there are so many crews cutting wood that come spring, Branson may have deforested half of Tanney County and put more carbon in the atmosphere than Beijing.