Dennis Hawver of Ozawkie is among the seven Republican candidates vying to represent the GOP in the November general election. The winner of the GOP primary will face Democratic incumbent Kathleen Sebelius.

Dennis Hawver

Age: 63

Family: Married to Jolayne Lyon; two children

Religion: Christian

Education: Bachelor of arts and law degrees from Washburn University

Occupation: Attorney

Political and governmental experience: Has run as a Libertarian candidate for Congress and governor

Questions and answers:

What would you do to ensure that Kansas has a constitutional school finance system?

“I would completely revamp the education system,” Hawver said.

He would pattern the public school system after New Zealand’s, in which he says all district school boards were abolished, and each individual school was run by a board elected by parents whose children attended the school.

“They got to make the decisions, and all the government did was take the education budget and chop it into the number of students and send out the checks.”

Do you believe the Kansas Supreme Court has overstepped its authority and if so what if anything would you propose to do about it?

“The Kansas Supreme Court seemingly can’t determine what the separation of powers doctrine is about. You would think our Supreme Court would realize that it cannot order the Legislature to levy taxes.

“I would cut the judicial budget to the bone. I would meet with them and the Legislature and say, ‘what are you doing.’ “

If you are elected, name three proposals you would work on immediately?

“The first thing I would do is call in management of top departments, and ask what are you doing, and what are you supposed to be doing? Government is doing a lot more than it is supposed to be doing. It is interfering with private industry.

“I would urge law enforcement to enforce the Bill of Rights. I am outraged that the Highway Patrol was searching cars going to this festival in Lawrence. Who do these people think they are? With no probable cause they searched them all. I want to know who made that decision and I want that person looking for work somewhere else.

” I will cut the size of state government by 50 percent in four years. That way we won’t have to have all these taxes, and industry will come thundering into Kansas.”

Do you support expansion of casino gambling. If not, why not, and if so, why and what kind of expansion would you push for?

“As far as I’m concerned there could be a casino on every corner. Government should have nothing to do with whether there should be gambling.”

What if anything would you do about illegal immigration in Kansas?

“Mexico puts illegal immigrants in prison for two years. We should institute the immigration laws of whatever country the illegal immigrant is from in dealing with the illegal immigrant

“I like them, they’re good people, but they are encouraged to come here because heaven knows the Mexican economy is not doing well.”

What would you do to promote economic development?

“Lower taxes.”

What would you do to improve or expand availability of health care? What do you think of Gov. Sebelius’ initiative?

“I would get government out of paying for health care and start making doctors responsive to their patients.

“I would tell the medical school at Kansas University to open the doors and quadruple production. We want more doctors.”

How would you deal with the $600 million worth of deferred maintenance at the state universities?

“I’d tell them they ought to figure out how to deal with it. Heaven knows they have a large enough facility availability. I would look with jaundiced eye at any request for money.”

What is your stance on drug crimes and what they mean for prison occupancy? Have you ever used illegal drugs or been arrested or charged with a crime?

“If I were elected governor, I would pardon all Kansas drug prisoners in the state immediately who don’t have violence on their records.

“I have absolutely not used illegal drugs and never been arrested.”

What do you think about the prospect of the Kansas National Guardsmen being sent to patrol the border?

“I’d have to have control over how this is done. I don’t trust the feds.

“I do want our president coming to Kansas to live Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Rice I want in adjacent cells in Leavenworth. They’re a bunch of crooks. I call them reptiles. They don’t care about people at all. I think they’re criminals.”

What do you think about the simultaneous drawdowns of the Ogallalah aquifer and the Hugoton gas fields?

“I’m against it, but I don’t want to tell farmers what they can do on their own property.”

What is the best solution to the depopulation/aging of so many Kansas counties?

“The country is going to go through heavy shaking and moving when we hit $6 per gallon gasoline.

“Our resources are going to be reallocated. When that happens, we are going to see serious changes. There is no leadership. Nobody is calling for Kansans to pull together, except me. That is what we are going to need to survive.”

What do you think about the small percentage of public access land in Kansas?

“I think all land should be owned by individuals. The land should not be owned by the government.”

What do you consider the top environmental concerns in the state and nation and where do you rank those concerns among their priorities?

“Kansas has a better environment than most seaboard states. That’s what I like about Kansas, is that nobody wants to come here.”

What type of cabinet would you assemble and what would try to accomplish in your first 6 months in office?

“I would try to analyze what government has been doing that it should not be doing. I would try to assemble the best qualified and most knowledgeable people that I could.”