Housing’s always unaffordable in Hawaii

The good news: The deep dent housing puts in the family budget isn’t getting any deeper in Hawaii, on the whole. The bad news: That’s because things have always been pretty bad here, where rents and mortgages are concerned.

A new study by the Center for Housing Policy reports that the recession has made housing less affordable for more families nationwide, despite falling home prices. That’s because families have lost earning power to an even greater extent, meaning that in many states, a larger percentage of families are shelling out more than half their income for housing.

The study uses the 2010 census for its newest figures, showing Hawaii holding steady at 30 percent of families overspending on housing to that degree. That percentage makes the state fourth worst in the nation, behind California, Florida and New Jersey, at 34, 33 and 32 percent, respectively.

Sigh. What else is new?

Soft drink makers fight back

The makers of sugary soft drinks must be getting nervous, and no wonder — the attacks from good-health advocates linking soda to problems such as obesity and diabetes are sounding more and more like the war on tobacco. And look how that turned out.

So it was not surprising to see a full-page ad in the paper recently from major beverage companies, including competitors Coke and Pepsi, touting their "More choices, smaller portions, fewer calories" campaign. Moreover, the companies are introducing "mid-calorie" soft drinks like Pepsi Next and Dr Pepper Ten, with less sugar, for those who really, really don’t like diet soda. You can also get smaller sizes of the regular stuff.

Will all this keep the nutritionists at bay? In Hawaii, at least, bills to impose a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages have gone nowhere. So far.