Boomsday, by Christopher Buckley
I liked this one. But then, I’ve always been a sucker for idealistic over-the-top pessimistic policy wonk fiction. The main character, Cassandra Devine, modestly proposes on her blog that baby boomers be given hefty tax incentives to “gracefully transition” at age 65. Intended as an outrageous proposal to spur debate about the awesome bankruptcy of social security, and the concommital pressures placed on Generation Whatever, Cassandra finds herself swept up in political debate at the highest levels.
I couldn’t help envisioning a friend of mine in Cassandra’s place. I have no recollection of what she is described as (No wait, I do recall that is is blonde and beautiful) but I picture her instead as my buddy LK, also a young and impossibly competent member of our military spin forces. I’ll have to see what she thinks of the book, as she knows what it is like to have generals and senators bat for you.
This is the first of Buckley’s books that I have read, though I did see and enjoy “Thank you for smoking.” I haven’t done too much research into the premise of the book, because while enjoy a good delving into the world of governmental accounting as much as anyone, I must confess a certain fearfulness at what I might find. It is all too easy to envision the 30% payroll tax hike on under 30’s enacted. But rather than assaulting the gated communities of the wealthy boomers, I expect that the actual members of my generation would shrug and say “Whatever.”