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Editor’s note: For Hawaii’s Aug. 10 Primary Election, Civil Beat asked candidates to answer some questions about where they stand on various issues and what their priorities will be if elected.

The following came from Adriel Lam, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate. His primary opponents are Melba Amaral, Paul Dolan, Bob McDermott, Arturo Reyes and Emmanuel Tipon.

Go to Civil Beat’s Election Guide for general information, and check out other candidates on the Primary Election Ballot.

1. What is the biggest issue facing Hawaii, and what would you do about it?

The biggest issue facing Hawaii is how to make Hawaii home again. Too many of our residents have to leave for better employment opportunities, and now even our kupuna are being priced out of their homes.

Cost of living, housing prices, noncompetitive business environment and stagnant bureaucracy all contribute to the decision to leave and never return home.

We need to provide a welcoming business environment and robust job market, encourage innovative solutions for competitive and niche industries to make make Hawaii home again for our future generations.

2. What can the U.S. Congress do to reduce gun violence?

Congress should invest in more self-defense and firearms education. Security is both a collective and individual responsibility.

Every citizen should have the required education to know the proper function and use of a firearm and the discipline to handle firearms in a safe and responsible manner. Safety and security begins with individual responsibility.

3. The polarization in Congress is worse than ever. Some say democracy itself is in trouble. How would you work to end the political polarization that divides both the Congress and the country?

Many will say journalist practices today are responsible for the polarization that pursue accolades and recognition from their peers over veracity and relevance.

With more than half the partisan races uncontested, many ballots in the August primary will have only one partisan decision to make, that is for the U.S. Senate race. Yet, Civil Beat’s June 5 report on the candidate filing deadline made no specific mention of the U.S. Senate Republican race, as well as advancing the narrative of low voter turnout. This deliberate omission and myopic partisanship undermine democracy.

4. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, while currently financially sound, risk future funding concerns because of changing demographics. What would you propose to shore up the country’s major safety net programs?

Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are not financially sound. Putting a “currently” modifier before a statement does not make it any better. Current beneficiaries are depending on payments from the future workforce to pay the bill. Safety nets are for emergency, exigent circumstances, not routine, regular, or even abnormal conditions. These programs need to be given back to the individuals and/or collective entities to plan, manage, invest and incentivized to prepare for their future.

5. Currently, the filibuster rule in the U.S. Senate has prevented the chamber from voting on critical issues. Should it be eliminated? Why?

The Senate filibuster is a tradition to ensure trendy legislation and fleeting sentiments binding future generations to poorly conceived ideas are not easily codified into law.

“Critical issues” should be self-evident and have little difficulty passing with a two-thirds majority. Giving power to a simple majority of 50% plus one is dangerous and a threat to a constitutional republic.

Most issues in Congress are not contentious. The contentious ones should have robust discussions and deliberations, less media interference and partisan advocacy, to seek and find common ground.

6. Is the U.S. on the right path when it comes to mitigating climate change and growing renewable energy production? What specific things should Congress be considering?

Climate mitigation and adaptation is important to monitor and adjust to the changing conditions around us. Farmers and engineers alike, have observed these 5-, 10-, 20-year even 100-year cycles for centuries and adapted their methods and techniques to these changes.

Congress should invest in real, hard sciences, and not fund politically driven research based on dubious claims and questionable results.

7. What is your view on the U.S. role in foreign policy? What can the U.S. do to build better relations with the Asia-Pacific region?

U.S. foreign policy should be based solely on protecting the rights and interests of American citizens around the world. Partnering with key, like-minded friends and allies has been how the United States has maintained peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region for decades.

While we provide incentives, aid, assistance to promote our values, our friends and allies should be free to choose and accept without coercion or undue political influence.

8. Should the state renew the U.S. military’s leases on training grounds in Hawaii? Should there be new conditions on the leases and if so what?

Federal land leases are negotiated on the basis of mutual benefit to the prospective tenant and landowner. While we all collectively benefit from the national security imperative to provide suitable training grounds for our military forces in the Asia-Pacific, the burden to provide these resources is not equally shared among the 50 states.

Fair compensation does not always have to be in financial terms, but partnering with the affected communities should be a necessary component to alleviating the burden they bear. Federal assistance through infrastructure, housing, remediation and mitigation can all be part of the solution for fair land use and compensation.