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Laws won’t
snuff out fireworks,
majority say
70 percent of those polled
Findings on fluoridation, Hemmeter Building By Crystal Kua
also support gun re-registration
Star-BulletinRemember the snapping firecrackers, thick smoke, squealing aerials and warlike atmosphere of last New Year's Eve?
Mary-Lynne Ludloff of Kaneohe believes things won't change much this year.
She -- and nearly two-thirds of those responding to a poll -- says a bill approved by the Legislature to muffle fireworks activity will be a dud.
"No, I don't think the fireworks law will work," Ludloff, 52, said. "People will do it no matter what."
Besides fireworks, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin/NBC Hawaii News 8 Poll also asked about the passage of a medical marijuana bill and the re-registration of firearms.The poll was conducted among 426 registered voters by telephone May 5-9 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
The legislative session began with the Senate pushing a total ban and the House wanting the counties to regulate fireworks activities.
A compromise between House and Senate negotiators led to a bill that would require a $25 permit to buy up to 5,000 firecrackers.
The bill also toughens the penalties for possession and importation of illegal aerial fireworks.
Gov. Ben Cayetano, who favored a total ban, is expected to sign the bill into law.
In the poll, 62 percent said "no" when asked whether the measure will significantly reduce the amount of fireworks shot off during holiday celebrations.
Thirty-three percent answered "yes," and 5 percent were not sure.
Sen. Cal Kawamoto, who led the Senate's fireworks team, said he was disappointed by the poll results.
"I think we took major strides to control fireworks," Kawamoto (D, Waipahu, Pearl City) said. "Our goal was to control and reduce the use of fireworks."Kawamoto said he believes the poll numbers reflect the dissatisfaction of both sides of the fireworks debate.
"They're frustrated at what they got," Kawamoto said. "I hope we can prove them wrong. I hope after this next New Year's, people will come out and say, 'Hey, the bill works.'"
House Speaker Calvin Say had a similar plea to a skeptical public: "Please give us a chance."
Dick Botti, who represents the fireworks wholesalers and retailers, said the bill is better than nothing, but he believes the poll numbers paint an accurate picture.
"It's going to reduce but not substantially reduce," Botti said. "In subsequent years, with enforcement, it may do it."
Botti said enforcement has always been the key to controlling fireworks but that aspect has been lacking in the past.
Medical marijuana
The poll also asked about a measure passed by lawmakers that would legalize marijuana for medical use.The majority polled, 52 percent, said they approved, while 42 percent disapproved and 6 percent weren't sure.
"I've got an awful lot of empathy for people who are in pain and dying, and if medical marijuana is good in a really bad situation like that, then I'll say I'm all for it," said real estate broker William M. Bledsoe, 68.
Sen. Matt Matsunaga, co-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a supporter of the bill, said these comments are similar to those he heard from constituents. "I think people believe that this is an issue of compassion."
The governor said the majority of Hawaii residents understand the issue.
"The idea of using marijuana for medical purposes is one that's going to sweep the country. Already, Hawaii is the eighth state to join seven others in supporting this," he said.
Gun re-reregistration
While the Legislature appeared to be in line with public sentiment on medical marijuana, it apparently missed the target on gun control.House and Senate conferees at the last minute took out language that would have required periodic gun re-registration.
An overwhelming 79 percent of those polled said they support requiring gun owners to re-register guns. The opposition was 20 percent while the undecided was one percent.
"Nowadays, anyone who wants a gun has one and as a result, people are getting shot and dying," said Jonnea Freeby, 19, the wife of a Kaneohe Marine. "People with guns should be more responsible.
Matsunaga (D, Waialae, Palolo) said the language was taken out because police believed that re-registration by mail would not work and would be a strain on their resources. "If it's not going to do what it was intended to do, should we really mandate it?"
"I think the legislators supported re-registration generally," he Matsunaga said. "But people recognize its ineffectiveness by mail."
Fluoridation splits,
By Pat Omandam
Hemmeter loses
Star-BulletinMartha Hockaday of Lanikai always supported fluoridation of drinking water, until she heard that it may have harmful effects.
Nowadays, says Hockaday, 76, she's "half and half" on the issue.
Her views mirrored those in a recent Honolulu Star-Bulletin/NBC Hawaii News 8 Poll that shows there is no clear majority opinion on fluoridation of Hawaii's drinking water. About 49 percent favored the idea, while 44 percent opposed it.
Earlier this year, Gov. Ben Cayetano pushed for legislative approval of fluoridation as a cost-effective means of reducing tooth decay in Hawaii's children. But state lawmakers were split on the issue, with the Senate killing a House fluoridation bill in favor of more study.
House Speaker Calvin Say (D, Palolo) said there are no clear answers when a community is heavily divided on an issue. Despite overwhelming testimony to support fluoridation, he doesn't know how it could pass the Senate next year unless there are changes, such as perhaps requiring just pockets of areas with the highest concentration of tooth decay to fluoridate drinking water.
The poll was conducted among 426 registered voters by telephone May 5-9 by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C. The margin of error is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
In another legislative issue, 46 percent of respondents opposed Cayetano's plan to buy the Hemmeter Building for $22 million.
The move, says Cayetano, is a "no brainer" because the state pays about $2 million in rent for three floors of the building. A third of those polled did support the purchase, while 25 percent were undecided.
"It seemed like they were paying out enough rent, they ought to buy it," Hockaday said.
Jonnea Freeby, 19, who spent summers in Hawaii as a youth and today is a military wife living at Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station, said she approves of the purchase of the building.
"They could use it a lot better than anybody else could, and could take care of it better," she said.
