How about a bill to limit legislative bills?

A depressing factoid gleaned from Friday’s "Name in the News" interview with veteran lobbyist John Radcliffe was that "Hawaii is one legislature that puts in more bills each year than virtually any other in the country." That would be about 3,000 a year on average, or about 40 per legislator. That’s an awful lot of bills and, unfortunately, many of them are simply time-wasters.

A common excuse is that such bills are introduced at the request of constituents, and who could begrudge that? Let a thousand flowers bloom and all that. But how about our legislators exercise a little discretion — and leadership — and restrain themselves? In fact, how about proposing a bill that would limit how many bills each legislator could introduce each year? Or would that itself be a time-wasting, frivolous bill?

Gung hee fat choy!

Sunday marks the start of a new year — the lunar new year, that is. Say farewell on this last day ruled by the Dragon, and get ready for the Year of the Snake.

Chinatown gets especially busy this time of year as folks get into the rituals of lion dances, li see (good-luck money in red packets), candied fruits and vegetables for sweet tea and the gooey nian gao (sticky rice cake).

As for the Snake, it is among the least revered of the 12 creatures in the Chinese zodiac. Pundits warn that previous snake years have brought major turmoil, such as the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, the crackdown in China’s Tiananmen Square in 1989 and the Great Depression in 1929.

Optimists say that this time around, good balance exists among the five elements of fire, water, earth, metal and wood, which should tamp any significant upheaval.

Let’s choose to believe that. Yesssssssssss …