Campaign fun in the mailbox

Last week, the campaign mailers starting filling up my mailbox. While most of them were pushing the Indian gaming measures -- Proposition 94-97 -- my favorite was the Yes on 93 mailer with the ambiguous message: "Protect our right to be heard on Election Day: Yes on 93." Who is the we of "our"? It's the people under the picture, not you, silly.

This bill changes term limits so that lawmakers can spend only 12 years in Sacramento, as opposed to the current 14, but can spend all of their time in any configuration of senate or assembly. Now they are limited to two terms each. But the real reason everyone's so hot for this bill in Sacramento is the loophole that lets current lawmakers keep their jobs up to six years longer. Not a bad deal, considering their salaries and per diems, it can be worth up to a half a million per legislator.