If there's anything that's fundamentally un-American, it's the burgeoning system of politicians bestowing on themselves special privileges that are largely unavailable to the public -- that is, the people who elect them and pay their salaries.

As Glenn Reynolds pointed out in USA Today, special laws around the country give some states' politicians special gun rights, legal immunity and a variety of other perks. It's a disgusting practice that needs to stop. It's impossible for our elected representatives to "represent" us properly if they are living a life that's insulated from many of the onerous laws or regulations they inflict on the rest of us -- or, more generally, if they're a special "protected class."

Perhaps the apotheosis of this deplorable trend is the fact that, in 20 states, private lobbyists get public pensions. That's right -- through their taxes, citizens of those states are getting the dubious privilege of subsidizing the retirements of employees of private lobbying firms.

It's time to stop this disgraceful boondoggle, along with all the other cushy little special favors that our elected officials have granted themselves . . . and their friends.