i L i n d . n e t

Jim, a friend out in Kaaawa, said he had to chuckle at a story on the Advertiser’s front page yesterday.

Gov. Linda Lingle, trying to tap into populist anger over higher taxes, yesterday invited the public to join her at the state Capitol on Thursday afternoon when she plans to veto bills that would raise taxes.

The governor will either allow people to watch her veto the bills in her fifth-floor offices or, if the crowd is too large, outside in the rotunda.

Lingle will veto bills that raise state income taxes on the wealthy, increase the hotel-room tax, and hike the conveyance tax on luxury homes. The governor is still reviewing whether to veto tax increases on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

Huh? So Lingle expects the populist masses to rally to the aid of the rich and their right to luxury homes? Well, I guess they did that during the last eight years of the Bush administration. But good on reporter Derrick DePledge for capturing that incongruity at the top of his story.

A lot of faculty on the UH Manoa campus are genuinely shocked that the three finalists in the search for a new UH president is someone who was forced to resign as second-in-command within the University of California system due to a significant ethical violation.

While the candidate, Dr. M.R.C. Greenwood, is visiting the islands and making a series of public presentations, faculty are busy circulating stories about her resignation under pressure back in late 2005.

In the context of the nepotism and conflict of interest issues in Greenwood’s past, the fact that she is presently at the University of California at Davis, where she overlapped with UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw, is also raising eyebrows.

There are questions about the timing of Greenwood’s visit as well. Says one observer:

Note that May 6 is the next-to-last official day of classes, and that the remainder of the time is final exam week leading up to May 16 commencement. Ill-timed, I’d say – or by design? Not much opportunity for student input – and not a lot of faculty hang out on campus during these days unless they’re sitting in an exam room. Weird.

It really isn’t a boost to faculty morale to find out that we’re shopping at the “damaged goods” counter. Faculty can’t help wondering whether Hawaii’s recruiting position so weakened that we can’t do better?

Meanwhile, I received this email yesterday:

I just wanted to drop you a note and thank you for doing such a great blog. I have been reading it for about a month now. I am a dog owner, so I am appreciative of the dog pics. Of couse, your insightful notes on politics and the press are worth a visit even without the dogs… but the dogs make it nice.

With that kind of feedback, it’s time to go to the dogs again.

The sun is coming up earlier every day, which means more photos of our favorite Kaaawa morning dogs. Actually, I don’t know that we really have favorites. It’s just that we know some of the dogs much better than others and feel more connected to them.

These dogs all live together and greet us enthusiastically every morning. I’m not so sure if their people are really so excited to have visitors come crashing into the front yard at the crack of dawn, but they humor us. If we’re traveling or don’t make the walk for some other reason, the dogs stand and wait around hoping that we’re going to appear. I guess that makes you feel wanted!

In any case, just click on the photo to enjoy them and a bunch of our other canine buddies.