ECONOMIC OBSERVATIONS FROM JERRY POURNELLE: Sequestration and the coming depression. “Not everyone is hurt by depressions. Some do well indeed. Others scrape by. But it’s really hard on those just entering the work force. Fortunately, Story Tellers always survive, and with the eBook revolution my backlist is worth something. Unlike physical books which sell out and have to be reordered, eBooks are always on the virtual shelf and the store is always open. And Young Adult books tend to do well in times of high youth unemployment; many of my books appeal to younger readers as well as to adults. They sell well in PX stores, too. I should get through the coming worse times. And thanks to all those who subscribed or renewed during the current pledge drive. That helps a lot.”

REPORT: Obama Organization To Bus Protesters To Albany To Promote Gun Control. Well, the turnout at antigun events to date has been minuscule, so I guess it’s time to bus in the rent-a-mobs.

JOE BIDEN: No Ordinary American Cares About Their Constitutional Rights, Facebook Questions are Plants.

POLITICAL THOUGHTS ON The Walking Dead.

START THE POPCORN: Tunisian Islamist Prime Minister Caught in Gay Sex Video Scandal.

BLOG COMMENT OF THE DAY: “Let’s just say that the libertarian movement would do well to spend less time reading Ayn Rand and more time reading Dale Carnegie.”

VIDEO: Amazing World of Women. What’s really amazing is how many of them turn out to be wearing bikinis.

THEY TOLD ME IF I VOTED FOR MITT ROMNEY . . . OH, HELL, YOU KNOW THE REST: Afghanistan leader accuses U.S. special forces of torture.

Remember the fierce moral urgency of change? Me neither.

VIA ROGER KIMBALL, a modest tax-reform proposal: “It was at this point that my friend ventured his modest proposal. How about, he suggested, we have the top 7 or 8 percent of filers pay all the federal income tax? In exchange, such filers would get a larger say in determining such things as entitlement payments, what sort of things the federal government should be paying for, etc. What do you think? The proposal would, of course, make official something that has been in place unofficially at least since so many tax filers were taken off the tax rolls during the Bush administration (that was the price the Democrats extracted in exchange for the Bush tax cuts). I mean the bifurcation of American society in two classes, the makers and the takers.”

This is precisely what Jerry Pournelle foresaw in his future history, where Americans were divided into Taxpayers and Citizens, with the former having privileges that the latter lack. It is not a very attractive world — though at present, it pretty much seems like we’re being governed by Greg Tolland’s rather thuggish People’s Alliance already.

UPDATE: Reader Richard Anderson writes that I should link the books. So here’s High Justice, and West of Honor. Those are the two that take place in the world I describe.

AS OF NOW, 70 gun companies are boycotting New York over its gun-control law.

Related: Firearms-makers to politicians on gun rights: You balk, we walk. “Firearms companies ranging from gun shops to machinists are joining forces to oppose new gun control laws. Some are threatening to move away from states that crack down on guns, others are refusing to sell gear to police that can’t be sold to citizens.” We’re seeing a lot more resistance to gun control than we did the last time around.

UPDATE: Much more on the boycott at Captain’s Journal.

Hey, any of you gun and ammo companies looking to relocate should consider Tennessee. Gun-friendly, low taxes, and a populace with a good work ethic. And the home of Luckygunner.com. What’s not to love?

BUSTED AND BACKPEDALING: Blueprint NC Disavows Memo Calling For The Evisceration of State Republicans. “Last Thursday, a memo from Blueprint NC was leaked to the press, which stated they intended to ‘eviscerate, mitigate, litigate, cogitate, and agitate’ the North Carolina Republican leadership. Blueprint is an ACORN-afiliated group, and its list of partners represents the core of the American far left. Since their dirty little secret was revealed, the organization has disavowed the memo.”

If you’re involved in state-level politics, you should read it, and consider adapting its tactics to your own situation.

SEQUESTER LOOKING BETTER ALL THE TIME: Sequester Might Force Congress To Fly Commercial.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: 10 Things No One Tells You About Married Sex.

THE CRAZY YEARS: World’s Best/Worst Mom Hired Strippers For Her Son’s 16th Birthday Party. “The brunette said she was a little surprised at how young everyone was at the party. The blond didn’t seem to mind.”

AT AMAZON, Digital Deals.

IF YOU’RE WATCHING THE OSCARS TONIGHT — OR IF YOU’RE NOT — you might want to read my Wall Street Journal column: The Hollywood Tax Story They Won’t Tell at the Oscars: It’s easy to demand higher levies on the ‘rich’ when your own industry gets $1.5 billion in government handouts.

REVOLVING DOOR: Harry Reid Hires G.E. Lawyer as Chief Tax Advisor. “By the way, no rules prevent Ms. Koch from meeting with G.E. or working on issues that would affect the company.”

THE EURO CRISIS: “Europe’s heart is still rotting away.”

PAUL MIRENGOFF: Why Dartmouth cannot be saved.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Revealed: al-Qaeda’s 22 tips for dodging drones.

AT AMAZON, up to 60% off on Men’s Shoes.

Also, Women’s Shoes.

And a reminder: InstaPundit is an Amazon affiliate. When you do your shopping through the Amazon links on this page, including the “Shop Amazon” tab at the top or the searchbox in the right sidebar, you support the blog at no cost to yourself. Just click on the Amazon link, then shop as usual. It’s much appreciated!

REMEMBERING JUSTICE JOHN MARSHALL HARLAN. “Despite Harlan’s comparatively progressive view of racial equality, Harlan was not particularly sympathetic to the rights of immigrants. Liu suggested this was because Harlan remained a nationalist. Thus he vigorously supported extending constitutional protections to all citizens, without regard to race, but was willing to exclude those – such as Chinese immigrants — who were outsiders.”

CONSTRUCTION: WWII Nazi Bunkers Stand the Tests of Time, Vandalism and Livestock. Dictators are big on concrete.

GALLERY: High School Fashions, 1969. A commenter notices something more out-of-place than the clothes in today’s world: “Nobody is fat. No body is fat. In 1969, nobody is fat.”

THE STORY OF that green-skinned alien chick from Star Trek. The actress who played her also dated Elvis.