Blockbuster Democracy

Somebody named Lee Olson of Huntington Beach, Calif., filed four ballot initiatives with the state attorney general Tuesday. The most interesting one is entitled the "California Freedom From Slavery Act." What does Olson mean by slavery, given that slavery was formally abolished with the 13th Amendment? Why, taxation of course.

At least, taxation on the old. Olson's one paragraph constitutional amendment would exempt California residents from all forms of state income and property tax once they turn 55. If that sounds familiar to elderly Californians, it should. In 1938, California voters narrowly rejected the so-called "ham and eggs' initiative -- a public pension proposal that would have guaranteed a $30 check, every Thursday, to each Californian 50 or older. The campaign for that initiative remains arguably the most expensive, when controlled for inflation, in the history of the state. Ham and Eggs was mocked, but it was fairer than Olson's idea, which would provide much more for the rich than for the poor. (Since Olson would appear to be a wing nut, someone might want to point out that this initiative -- unlike, say, federal health care legislation -- has no provisions that would prevent undocumented immigrations from benefiting from the tax break).

Olson's initiative also would add even more to the burdens of younger Californians, who already subsidize their elders because of Prop 13 protections that favor longtime homeowners.

Just thinking about this is enough to make this Gen Xer ask: where do I sign up the generational war?