The Republicans' objective is singular. They want to cut both programs to put that cash back into the pockets of the rich, including donors who gave to Trump's campaign. There are too many mouths to feed, and the rich shouldn't have to feed them--despite the fact that the rich made their millions off those masses.
Does this remind you of anything? It should. Under imperial rule, France in the late 18th century saw many of the same problems that are appearing today in the United States. A foreign-born queen named Marie Antoinette was at the center of the corruption along with her consort/husband King Louis XVI. Neither lasted long after the decay reached a boiling point during the French Revolution. Both were publicly beheaded by guillotine for various crimes to the state, including treason.
Marie Antoinette is famous for the words she uttered about the starving people: "If they don't have bread, then let them eat cake!" Those words embody the moral climate in France as of 1793--and in the United States of 2025.
Similar to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, President Donald Trump has been convicted of various crimes including multiple felonies for falsifying business records to hide hush money payments. Other more serious charges against him were dropped when he was re-elected president last fall. Those charges included insurrection, a high crime and a close cousin to treason. Now he is working relentlessly to cut social programs and divert the tax savings into the pockets of the country's wealthy.
The parallels to late 19th century France are obvious.
What does this have to do with Hoofers? There are two types of individual who join Hoofer Sailing: those who want to sail, and those who want to enrich themselves, either financially or in standing and authority. While a $500,000 annual budget may not sound like a lot, it's enough. Club leaders get paid and get free memberships and numerous other perks, and there is incentive to rip off as many customers, a.k.a. general club members, as possible.
Corruption seems to be deeply ingrained into the human animal, suggesting that (1) everyone is corrupt (or corruptible), (2) getting a job in government corrupts you, and/or (3) only corrupt individuals seek jobs in government.
Here's an idea: From now on, new HSC commodores can take the name a former commodore they idolize. For example, if your name is Max Bublik, you could instead choose to be known as Pepe (party animal) II, or if you want to sound scarier, perhaps Nate (Salowitz the slanderer) II, or maybe Mike (Larsen the abuser) II. And so on.
