Fumigation station

Look what've been popping up around town. At first we thought it was a joke, but evidently not. If it were, the ad (in the interest of full disclosure) would surely say things like:

1. Develop skills like fiberglassing, engine repair, and tolerance to dangerous particulates and toxic chemicals.
2. Constant learning opportunities-- because our shop staff are constantly quitting.
3. Hard working, team orientated individuals a must because at Hoofers, it's all about I, and we need someone to do our work for us.
4. Experience with machinery, fibreglassing, finger amputation, and emergency room visits a plus but NOT NECESSARY!

I like how they emphasize "hard working individuals a must." Yeh, most managers are looking for lazy slobs. And that photo..! It almost seems as if they don't want any applicants, or they would have shown what maintenance staff actually do most of the time: sit in the cage playing videogames.

Ah, if only I didn't already have a job....

Milking the member

Today's Badger Herald has an article that should be of interest to all Hoofers. Wisconsin leads the nation in private job loss. At the same time, unemployment in Wis. is supposedly decreasing. Say what? How can that be?

Apparently, many people have quit looking for jobs (so they no longer count as "unemployed") and others are fleeing the state. Thus, apparent improvement in Wisconsin's unemployment figures! And since Gov. Walker hasn't laid off a single state employee, the huge and increasing number of state employees is helping to offset massive job loss in Wis. industry.

And that brings us to Hoofer Sailing Club (a state organization), where more and more people are paid rather than contributing their time for free as members of a genuine club would do.

UW-Madison economics professor Steven Deller is quoted as saying, "We just don't know what's going on." Wow. A UW professor said that? I guess UW's pay really can't compete. But he should ask one of HSC's hundred or so paid employees, like paid keelboat "instructors" Chris Frye or Justin Cherniak. They know what's going on.