Amusement Parks and Private Property

by Stacy Litz
Sep. 03, 2010

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to visit an amusement park — immediately, I realized how much it showed the potentials of private property.

When entering the park, there is a requirement to purchase a ticket as an entrance fee. This purchase requires that a person follow all the rules and regulations that the park puts in place. Many of the rules, of course, follow those set down by the government outside of the park, but many others pertain the the specifics of the location. There are a number of signs around the park, citing if the ticket bearer breaks any of these rules, they may be asked to leave without a refund.

Entering a park is voluntary and before choosing a specific park, an individual may research the rules they are expected to follow. If the certain park is not preferred, the person may choose another park elsewhere. This example of the freedom of choice would possibly be seen in an anarchy, almost in the sense of joining specific communal groups based on personal preference.

Now, forget that the park is for fun and games, but think of it as a private commune, with ticket profits funding goods and services such as roads, healthcare, emergency services and even necessities like housing, food and water. Instead of purchasing ride equipment, paying taxes and employing workers at minimum wage, this privately owned area could set down its own budget that would then be promoted to possible attendees. With a voluntary ticket purchase, you could be entering a private area that could potentially satisfy all your needs — again, without government.

In the amusement park scenario, there are a number of private security entities located in the park, but no more than needed — and especially not performing unnecessary tasks. The park only makes as much profit as it gets from tickets and some sales, spends a lot on other purchases, and it cannot afford to go waste money in such a manner. However, it recognizes that there is a need for security, especially that it would boost attendee numbers, and it choses the most effective way to handle it, relying on market forces.

Certain gray areas exist in modern amusement parks, such as potential monopolies such as high food and drink prices. Once you enter the park, you cannot leave and make a cheaper purchase elsewhere and bringing in outside food and drink is prohibited. There can be a few explanations for this phenomenon and not all point to selfish park owners trying to make the most profit possible and exploit customers. First, parks have to pay extremely high property taxes, insurance, and other government regulated costs, so they require a huge profit in order to make these ends meet. Secondly, the park is not set up to be a living space, simply a day trip, and the attendees come to enjoy the park services, not protest the costs of commodities. Of course, if they lived in the park, there would probably be some kind of uproar about the prices and eventually they would be driven down or there would be a high risk of losing customers.

During my park visit, I was never under the impression that the park was chaotic, dangerous or unregulated, and I actually felt a sense of freedom. The fact that I had made a decision to enter the park, paid my admission, enjoyed the services provided, and that I was kept safe made the trip well worth it. These desirable aspects of the amusement park experience are what makes them so profitable and popular with high attendance capabilities, even without the market being genuinely free yet under statism. The construction of an amusement park can be considered a rough backbone of the possibilities of an anarchist commune — minus the roller coasters (maybe).

C4SS News Analyst Stacy Litz is an undergraduate at Drexel University, studying political (statist) science. She is the President of the Student Liberty Front, Campus Coordinator for Students for Liberty and founder of her university's chapter of Students for a Sensible Drug Policy. She is the winner of the Drexel University Student Leader of the Year award and first place winner of the Campus Freedom Network incentive program. Currently, she writes for Examiner.com, Suite 101, the 2010 Journal of Liberty and Society and other varied publications. She can be found fighting for liberty 24/7 in a relentless fashion. Stacy can be reached at [email protected] and more information can be found on her website, www.stacylitz.com.