10% discount for vacations in a disaster zone

[Steinbeck]

There's no more lake, so what are these lake resort businesses doing?

Do they need our prayers, our sympathy, federal aid, or a swift kick in the rear?

Should we feel sad, or roll our eyes?

Or some combination of the above?

"When else are you going to see a lake like this?

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Life handed them lemons. They're trying like hell to make lemonade. I don't see them with their hands out begging for federal aid. It could be happening, but it's not part of this particular story. I feel not sadness, but a kind of pride in their willingness to make the most of what they've got. I think that kind of spirit should be emulated.

 

[Steinbeck]

There is a lot of info that we don't have from the story. I think a more apt metaphor is that they're trying to make lemon meringue pie out of lemons, but they're missing the other ingredients.

Optimism and persistence are great things, but realism is healthy, too. I would think that the fact that not a single room was sold for the 10% discount would be an accurate indicator of how people feel about the "deal."

I am not making light of this problem, and I certainly feel sympathy for the business owners. But I'm incredulous that they would think their solution would actually work. Everything that was on that lake -- the boat tours, the shows, the views -- is temporarily gone. There are thousands of other hotel rooms in that area, including those at the mega-resorts with huge indoor and outdoor water parks.

I see here a metaphor for a lot of flood-plain issues in this country. I don't have all the answers, and I live in a 100-year flood plain myself. Some of the quotes in the article just leave me shaking my head.

 

[zzzz]

 

[NameAlreadyInUse]

IIRC, Wisconsin Dells has casinos and water parks to bring in the tourists as well.

 

[Steinbeck]

There's a ton of stuff to do in the Dells. I'm not sure that there are casinos there, although there are others in the state.

But because there is so much to do, especially at places that weren't affected nearly as much, the 10 percent discount and the expectation that people will come to take part in bonfires or volleyball when the whole point is the water is more than a bit unrealistic, in my opinion.