Chicago is rated the 4th most miserable city in America. There is still work to do to pass Detroit, Flint and Rockford. Keep it going, Rahm.  It makes more sense to me now why Rahm may want to run for President.  Of course, his brother Ezekiel was one of the creative artists who designed Obamacare.  He may need something new to ruin as well.

California's public pension system is in bad shape. But it looks great next to Illinois, which has a 50% larger long term pension shortfall in a state with one third the population of California.  I am sure the Democratic leaders of the state legislature in Springfield are up to the task of pension reform.

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Bob Woodward, the longtime liberal editor, columnist, and author has greatly upset the rest of the 4th estate and the Obama administration by arguing that tax increases were not envisioned as a replacement for the sequester, coming this Friday, and hardly as calamitous as advertised. In the next six months, the "draconian cuts" over the rest of the fiscal year, are 3/4 the size of the recently approved $60 billion in aid approved for Super storm Sandy "victims" and other ostensibly worthy liberal causes.  Oh, and the sequester was the President's idea, for which he is now attempting to shift blame.

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How large is the federal debt? Paul Krugman says it does not matter. He argues we need to spend more, and  what  we spend it on also seems not to matter.  That attitude may help explain why the $900 billion stimulus in 2009 was so useless. Robert Samuelson argues that the real number fro federal debt may not be $11 trillion, but closer to three times that level. My guess is that Krugman would say even the $31 trillion number does not matter.

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Rick Richman connects Calvin Coolidge with Dr. Benjamin Carson, the newest object of hate and loathing on the left, right up there with Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. Here is Carson's National Prayer Breakfast speech, already viewed 3 million times.

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As for Senator Cruz, his alleged bad behavior in the Senate, pales next to that of liberal icons Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton.

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The Palestinians seem to not be getting the attention they think they deserve outside of college BDS events, so a new intifada may be in the works as a setup for President Obama's visit to Israel in a few weeks. That is, assuming the trip is not cancelled or delayed due to  an awards show at which the first couple are asked to open the final envelope. 

My article from Israel Hayom on this subject.

Khaled Abu Toameh on the Palestinian strategy: 

For anyone unconvinced, here is a detailed summary of how the Palestinians created the second, very deadly intifada.

Law Professor Eugene Kontorovich explains Israel's status in the territories under international law. This is well worth watching in its entirety:

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It can be well argued that asteroids are a far bigger threat to planet earth than climate change. But many more people are drawing fat salaries and getting big research grants to fight the alleged climate catastrophe headed our way.