Dash of Calabash

For a Houston man, saying it with flowers will probably cost him a bundle. So he’s trying to grab a bundle from the florist.The man had the florist send his sweetie long- stemmed roses and a stuffed animal along with a mushy note. Problem was, he was still married to another woman at the time; a divorce was in the works but not final.

After receiving a thank-you note and a discount coupon in the mail, the man’s wife contacted the florist, who faxed her a copy of the receipt and the love note. The man claims in his suit what had been an amicable divorce proceeding may cost him more money because his wife can use this evidence of his alleged infidelity against him. He’s seeking $1 million in damages from the florist for these costs and mental anguish.

University of Houston law professor Richard Alderman said, “I’m a big consumer advocate, but in this case I’d have to go with caveat emptor”–let the buyer beware. The man’s lawyer disagrees. “We didn’t file this frivolously,” she said. Of course not.

Source: Mary Flood, “Lawsuit: Floral flub made life thornier for man in love triangle, Man seeking divorce says he’ll pay dearly for love note mix-up,” Houston Chronicle, August 13, 2007

Should Indian drivers be denied a $2,500 car to offset CO2 generation of wealthier nations?

Read the article from the Competitive Enterprise Institute by clicking here

Lingle-Aiona Initiatives 2008, recently published in the Honolulu Advertiser are available on-line using this link. This post relates to the Energy for tomorrow, one of 14 initiative areas contained in the document. Some initiatives are recycled or continued from prior years. Stay tuned to see how the bills/initiatives progress.

Energy for tomorrow - BED-12(08)/HB3064/SB2986 creating special tax credit for taxpayers with less that $20K AGI who install solar water heater or other renewable energy system. This would result in refund from the state for those with no tax liability; creates new Energy Division within DBEDT funded with $1.6million for four positions in governor’s FY2009 budget; calls for establishment of Chair in power generation and distribution at UH college of engineering, setting aside $2 million for funding to be matched by private sources; clarifies that the public benefits fund created in 2006 to encourage energy conservation not be subjected to legislative fund raids and managed outside the state treasury; and bill to expand the definition of renewable energy producer to include growers and producers of organic materials used primarily for production of biofuels or other fuels (no bill number).

10-year plan cuts out $2 billion in projects to provide communities realistic timeframe for funding and construction in order to layout how projects would be built and funded.

Read the Associated Press article by clicking here

Read the article from The Associated Press here

NOTE: Hawaii state gas taxes shown as 16-cents but does not include 4.712% GETax on retail price of gasoline, an additional16-cents ($3.35 x 0.04712) or $0.32 total makes Hawaii’s taxes among the highest on gasoline.

Lingle-Aiona Initiatives 2008, recently published in the Honolulu Advertiser are available on-line using this link. This post relates to workforce development, one of 14 initiative areas contained in the document. Some initiatives are recycled or continued from prior years. Stay tuned to see how the bills/initiatives progress.

Workforce Development - LBR-28(08)/HB3169/SB3091 creates tax-free life-long learning accounts allowing employer-matched portable individual savings accounts to finance career-building skills; BED-21(08)/HB3073/SB2995 allows for up to $100 million from the Employees Retirement System to be invested in venture capital funds for the state; $4.8 million additional funding for expansion of HCC music business program (no bill number); establishes rapid response training program with community college system (no bill number); continuing support of public-private “Kamaaina Come” program to encourage former residents to return to work; and $100K funding to support a public- private partnership to commercialize innovative ideas (no further details or bill number)

The Honolulu Advertiser published only excerpts of Sen. Fred Hemming’s address to the Legislature on opening day, but the full text is available online using this link.

Is sustainability your main issue as well? Let him know. senhemmings@capitol.hawaii.gov

From Roy Innis at TCS Daily:

Congress and the White House, Democrats and Republicans finally agree on something. We need a stimulus package, they intone. The economy is stagnating, unemployment is climbing, families can’t pay their bills. We have to prime the pump, reduce interest rates, increase unemployment benefits, provide temporary tax relief.

These unlicensed physicians are prescribing aspirin to counteract the poisons they routinely inject into our economy, while they prepare even bigger doses of arsenic.

Every one of these supposed shots of economic adrenaline is counteracted by policies that drive up prices.

Read the rest of this entry »

Lingle-Aiona Initiatives 2008, recently published in the Honolulu Advertiser are available on-line using this link. This post relates to education, one of 14 initiative areas contained in the document. Some initiatives are recycled or continued from prior years. Stay tuned to see how the bills/initiatives progress.

Education - GOV-04(08)/HB3118/SB3040 amending the state constitution to allow for county voters to decide whether or not to establish local school boards, starting with a pilot program on one or more neighbor islands; GOV-01(08) HB3116/SB3038 gives the Charter School Review Panel the authority to removes statutory cap on number of charter schools, requires charter school funding in state budget, and increases authority of the panel, allows the governor to appoint members to the same panel, and adds a member with a finance background to the panel.

The Honolulu Advertiser published only excerpts of Sen. Colleen Hanabusa’s address to the Legislature on opening day, but the full text is available online using this link.

Is sustainability your main issue as well? Let her know. senhanabusa@capitol.hawaii.gov