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Editor’s note:ÌýFor Hawvaii’s Nov. 4 general election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions.

Name: EmilÌýÌýSvrcina

Office: State House District 37

Party: Republican

Profession: Cancer research computer specialist

Education: Masters Degree in Nuclear Science and Physical Engineering

YearÌýof Birth: 1962

Community organizations: Mililani Neighborhood Board, MTA, Republican Party District Chair, HIRA

1. Why are you running for the Hawaii Legislature?Ìý

I lived half of my life under a communist rulers, so I have had enough of being ruled and not represented. My representative is not Representing me and the people who live in my district.ÌýÌýHe is ruled by his party and is not sensitive to the concerns of the residents.ÌýÌýLeadership requires you to step forward to make the improvements needed in the community.ÌýÌýI am running for those who would like improvements in the community, their lives, and their state towards more freedom and enforcement of their constitutional rights, but don’t have time to do it themselves.

2. Are you satisfied with the current plans to pay for the state’s unfunded liabilities? If not, how would you propose to meet pension and health obligations for public workers?

The Democratic led state legislature does not consider the unintended consequences of the bills it passes.ÌýÌýÌýThey act as if there is an unlimited source of funding and pass expensive bills that have long term financial implications.ÌýÌýÌýI don’t see the state has a realistic plan.ÌýÌýYou can only tax people to a limit until there is no more.ÌýÌýI would promote and vote for a plan that would work and not break the backs of our citizens.

3. Local officials and advocates have worked to address homelessness for years, yet the crisis is growing. What proposals do you have for this complicated issue?

The more the government is involved in solving the problem the worse it gets. We have had 60 years of Democratic leadership with “good intentions” but “bad results.” Since the Democratic government started focusing on homelessness we have made more people homeless.ÌýÌýWhy is there a restriction on modular/mobile homes — a solution for low income housing that works throughout the world. These are not “micro cells”.ÌýÌýThese are complete homes that look just like any other homes.ÌýÌýManufactured homes have come a long way since their first “trailer park” appearance.ÌýÌýIt is the government that is preventing low cost housing in our State.ÌýÌýIt is time to get the government out of the way and the only way to do that is to get rid of the one party dictatorship.

4. Where do you stand on labeling genetically engineered food and pesticide regulation? Are these public safety issues, or are the dangers exaggerated?

I have read that GMOs are a problem but the jury is still out. I’m for GMO labeling. Experience shows that we can feed a multitude of people on a small part of the aina. Many people suffer from hunger and we must not make more people suffer because of unreliable science.ÌýÌýI believe pesticides have a purpose and the damage must be weighed with the advantage.ÌýÌýI would be against pesticides that are proven harmful.ÌýÌýUntil proven otherwise, I would support pesticides that make our crops plentiful so that we don’t have a famine or diseases spread by insects before we grow pesticide resistant GMO crops.ÌýÌýMillions of people have starved to death in other nations due to agrarian reforms that were baseless.

5. Hawaii’s cost of living is the highest in the country by many indicators. What can really be done to make things like housing, food and transportation less expensive?

This is an easy questions.ÌýÌýStop the rail will reduce costs automatically.ÌýÌýGet rid of the health connector is another.ÌýÌýReform the Jones Act and make Hawaii exempt from at least some portions of this almost 100 years old law.ÌýÌýThe government have tried their solutions and they don’t work.ÌýÌýIf another Democrat is elected, they won’t change.ÌýÌýWe will continue to be saddled with the cost of unworkable and costly systems.ÌýÌýUntil the legislature has to compensate their constituents for their bad decision or feel the consequences in the voting booth, the cost of living will not decrease.ÌýÌýFood and medicines should not have GET tax imposed.ÌýÌýThe Democrats have resisted that reduction for years.ÌýÌýThe only way to reduce the cost of living is to change leadership.

6. Would you support using liquefied natural gas as part of the state’s energy sources? And how can we improve the electrical distribution system so more renewable energy can be utilized to bring costs down?

I believe in reducing costs in ways that are most beneficial to the people of Hawaii, whether it is “renewable” or other.ÌýÌýThe problem with so-called renewable energy is that it is also UNRELIABLE!ÌýÌýYou know the sun won’t shine at night, you don’t know if the wind will blow.ÌýÌýHow many of our native birds are we willing to kill for renewable energy?ÌýÌýHow many miles of beautiful coastline do we have to destroy in the name of renewable energy.ÌýÌýThe H-power plant is a good energy source and we are able to eliminate our trash without transporting it out of state.ÌýÌýI see many options that are not costly and are reliable but the Democratic leadership will never let their minions allow them in Hawaii.

7. Hawaii’s public records law mandates that public records be made available whenever possible. Yet many citizens are unable to afford the costs that state and local government agencies impose. Would you support eliminating search and redaction charges and making records free to the public except for basic copying costs?

Many public records are on-line.ÌýÌýThe redaction should be done when it is on-line.ÌýÌýGovernment is for the people.ÌýÌýThe people don’t serve government but that point has been lost in Hawaii.ÌýÌýThere is a false idea in this State of what is “free”.ÌýÌýThe residents pay taxes for government to do their job.ÌýÌýThere is a requirement for government to make those “public” record available to the public, not just the rich.ÌýÌýI see a lot of misconception about what government is currently providing for “free”.ÌýÌýIn actuality, the citizens are paying for everything and our elected officials are oblivious to the fact.

8. Are you satisfied with the way Hawaii’s public school system is run? How can it be run better?

No!ÌýÌýI am very concerned about data collection on students and the imposition of Common Core curricula and Pono Choices on our keiki.ÌýÌýI have read that student IQ’s have decreased with all the “innovations” (regression) put in place in schools.ÌýFurthermore, Hawaii students have performed worse than students in all other states on national tests.ÌýÌýThis shows that our schools are educating our students and it isn’t because of money.ÌýÌýHawaii spends more than a lot of states and yet achieves poorer results.ÌýÌýStarting school earlier or having longer class days or more class days aren’t the answer either.ÌýÌýWe need to get back to teaching (not facilitating) and learning facts (not just what is called critical thinking but is really B. F. Skinner’s conditioned response/operand conditioning.)

9. There is a desire to grow the economy through new development yet also a need to protect our limited environmental resources. How would you balance these competing interests?Ìý

We are the stewards of the land.ÌýÌýI take that seriously.ÌýÌýHowever, I believe Hawaii is a unique place but you would never know that with the high-rise canyons that our Democratic leadership is imposing on our residents – Transit Oriented Development.ÌýWe will soon lose our sense of place and our tropical paradise if we don’t stop the urban blight that is being promoted by the Democratic leadership.

Ìý10. What other important issue would you like to discuss here?

•ÌýAbuse of our constitutional rights. (NSA abusing our privacy, 2nd amendment protection is missing in Hawaii – where we can’t even conceal carry.)

• Obamacare is unaffordable and causing Americans to work less and part time.

• Public private partnerships are another in my opinion abuse of governmental power when government is picking winners and losers and killing healthy competition.

• Apathetic government way of dealing with traffic congestion and potholes.