Poor in Hawaii are taxed liberally

A new study by the nonpartisan Institute of Taxation and Policy ranks Hawaii fourth highest among the states in taxes on the poor, challenging the state’s reputation of being politically liberal.

"Not only does Hawaii have the highest cost of living in the country," it reports, "it also has some of the highest overall taxes on the poor."

Those earning less than $17,000 a year in the state pay 13 percent in taxes, a higher percentage than paid by all other income groups.

The Hawaii Appleseed Center for Law and Economic Justice says much of that is caused by not eliminating state income taxes for Hawaii families below the poverty line and not pairing the state tax code with the refundable federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Such moves, it said, would result in an after-tax income increase for Hawaii’s poorest families of 1.4 percent.

Is stressing about bad habits bad?

According to a new study in The New England Journal of Medicine, all those theories about the battle of the bulge may be ready for the ash heap of history.

Think those sessions in gym class have been doing the kiddies good? Convinced by the self-help gurus who say making small changes in the diet and incremental weight-loss goals are the healthiest course? The evidence doesn’t point there, says the study.

Critics note that some of the report’s authors have financial ties to food, beverage and weight-lost product manufacturers. So what should we believe?

On the other hand, maybe now we can quit stressing about our bad habits. Let’s have another cookie — but just one.