false 213387 11 Outraged over the mounting Social Security debt, Cassandra Devine, a charismatic 29-year-old blogger and member of Generation Whatever, incites massive cultural warfare when she politely suggests that Baby Boomers be given government incentives to kill themselves by age 75. Her modest proposal catches fire with millions of citizens, chief among them "an ambitious senator seeking the presidency." With the help of Washington's greatest spin doctor, the blogger and the politician try to ride the issue of euthanasia for Boomers (called "transitioning") all the way to the White House, over the objections of the Religious Right, and of course, the Baby Boomers, who are deeply offended by demonstrations on the golf courses of their retirement resorts. 2260186 2007 Boomsday total:1911|5:17|4:20|3:19|2:5|1:3| 1911 6934 2573 490 3 5 false false Tue Jun 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 09:33:33 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 05:11:10 -0700 2008 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jun 24 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 17 13:21:24 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 19:41:16 -0700 2008
I picked this up in the Midway airport on my way back from Chicago and wow...what a wonderful find!

Picture it: 77 million Baby Boomers are on the verge of retirement, which is putting a strain on the already floundering Social Security system. The...more...]]> 2 2 false false Sun Jun 22 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Aug 23 07:53:48 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 23 20:44:15 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu May 24 11:46:58 -0700 2007 Thu May 24 12:03:09 -0700 2007
The time and place: America, a few years down the road. Prime rates are at 18 percent. Inflation is at thirty percent. Foreign countries are refusing to loan America any more money. The United States is at war with six areas, including Quebec, an...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri May 18 12:34:28 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 14 13:11:57 -0700 2007 more...]]> 0 0 false false Wed Sep 30 12:37:10 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 12:37:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 11:52:55 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 12:02:45 -0700 2009
I hated all the characters in the very beg...more...]]> 2 0 false false Wed Sep 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 09:21:18 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 09:36:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Wed Feb 11 19:41:53 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 13 13:49:24 -0800 2009
Review in March 15, 2007 LJ:
This latest satire from Buckley (Thank You for Not Smoking) tackles the looming Social Security crisis, which will be triggered when all the baby boomers begin retiring, an occasion known as Boomsday. Cassandra Devine, a 29-y...more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 04 15:53:38 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 04 15:54:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 13 11:13:31 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 11:23:01 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Fri Mar 21 08:28:31 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 11 09:10:16 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 08:27:42 -0700 2008
Actually, ...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue May 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 16:16:23 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 05 16:40:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Nov 24 11:06:45 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 20 16:58:17 -0800 2008 Mon Nov 24 11:06:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 16 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 15 13:46:38 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 19 13:14:32 -0700 2009 1 Thank You For Smoking, has managed to produce another social-critical satire this time targeting Social Security reform and the view we have of the Millennial generation as simultaneously apathetic and violently activist. The plot you can read about anywh...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 07:33:29 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 01 06:24:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 1 false false Thu Feb 05 09:44:11 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:44:11 -0800 2009 Once again, political satirist Christopher Buckley (Thank You for Smoking) delivers a firecracker of a novel that explodes with imagination, irony, and wit. Buckley sometimes overexplains, to show off how smart he is, but he is discussing Social Security here. Besides boring subject matter, the nove...

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I think it would have worked better for me pre-Obama (or maybe in a year or two). But the characterization of the "U-30s" as not wanting to volunteer for a presidential candidate...more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Dec 30 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 10:08:12 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 08:13:34 -0800 2008
For Buckley fans he has all the usual collection of (somewhat) likeable characters and great humor--some of my personal favorites:

--In other news, the Vice President shot another lawyer, this time the Vice President says it was in self de...more...]]>