Author: raemd2016

Candidates Forum, The Portland Press Herald

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Issues and Aswers: “If in the end, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me”–Abraham Lincoln

Richard Evans

Richard A. Evans, MD

Democrat

Candidate’s Links:  http://www.facebook.com/EvansforME

banner-personalOffice Sought: Representative – District 120
Age: 69
Occupation: General Surgeon
Education: BS Degree Howard University, Washington DC; Doctor of Medicine, Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA
Family: Married, 1 daughter, 1 step-daughter, 1 step-son, 6 grandchildren
Hometown: Dover-Foxcroft

Political experience

I have never run for any political office in the past. In fact, I do not necessarily accept the constraint that political experience is a measure of ones abilities to know or do what is right. I believe that leadership and moral character are more important. I am a veteran of the USAF serving as a Hospital Commander, receiving the Meritorious Service Medal for Outstanding Leadership and the National Defense Service Medal. As a Past President of the Maine Medical Association, I received The President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. I was recently installed as Chair of the New England Delegation to the American Medical Association. I am no stranger to our democratic parliamentary process. These experiences have taught me not only how to be a leader, but the importance of leadership and character.

Why are you running for office?

My candidacy is about “We the People”, the people of Maine and especially those in Piscataquis County. It seems today that we are trapped in a time warp. As I have traveled around the towns in our district, my suspicions have been confirmed. Maine is not fulfilling its promise to its citizens. I am dismayed by the conditions under which many are living. I was raised in a family of 6 children. My father was a truck driver and only went to the 8th grade, my mom a homemaker who only went to the 9th grade. I saw how hard they struggled just to make ends meet. I know what it’s like to go to bed without a meal or to school without a lunch. It seems that far too many Mainers are experiencing these same calamities today. If our society continues to allow wrongs to go unchallenged, we leave the impression that those wrongs have the approval of the majority. The imperative for us is to define what is right and to do it. So I run, not for myself, but for those we have forgotten, those whose voices are not being heard, who live in poverty, who are unemployed, the elderly and for the future of our children. Instead of the way life should be, I want a Maine community as good as its promise.

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  • Income Tax: Gov. LePage would like to lower Maine’s income tax rate and eventually eliminate it, by increasing the state’s sales tax and expanding it across a broader range of goods and services. Do you support this proposal?
    • No.
      Gov. Lepage’s intent is to completely eliminate the state income tax, a plan which continues corporate welfare. Several other states have gone down this road but when you look closely, it is essentially a game of bait and switch. The state still has to pay its bills. Without an income tax, individuals end up paying higher taxes for the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the gas in their cars. This is how the deficit would be made up. An example is Tennessee which has the highest sales tax in the country. Without a state income tax, sales taxes went up 7%. Combined with local sales taxes, the actual rate increased to 9.45%. Property taxes are also significantly increased as is the case in New Hampshire. All of those extra taxes contribute to higher-than-average living expenses for those least able to afford it, the poor, low income and the elderly.
  • Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
    • Yes.
      According to the most recent data, over 30,000 people have been killed in a gun related homicide, unintentional shooting, or murder/suicide. There were 372 mass shootings in 2015. This is flat out unacceptable. Federal law, which Maine follows, requires background checks for all gun sales by licensed dealers. The current federal law leaves a loophole that allows unlicensed dealers to sell guns at gun shows, online or in other private transactions. Because of these exceptions, background checks are required for only an estimated 40 percent of gun sales. Background check exceptions in Maine’s initiative would include emergency self-defense, while the parties are hunting or sport shooting, and transfers between family members. As a surgeon, I have seen first- hand the effects of gun violence. It stands to reason to me that we must do whatever we can to minimize gun violence. The Maine initiative is reasoned and I support it.
  • Minimum Wage:
    In light of the ballot question facing voters this fall, do you support raising the state’s minimum wage from $7.50 to $12 an hour by 2020?
    • Yes.
      The minimum wage was set in 1938 at 25 cents, which would be $4.11 in today’s dollars. 50% percent of minimum wage workers are employed in food preparation and serving related occupations. 45% are ages 16-24 and 55% are older than 25. The poverty rate in Maine is 14%, ranking the state 22nd in the nation. If the minimum wage in 1968 had simply kept up with inflation, it would be more than $10 today. If it also kept up with the added productivity of American workers since then, it would be more than $21 an hour. More money in people’s pockets means more demand for goods and services, and more jobs. Employers who don’t pay enough to lift their employees out of poverty are indirectly subsidized by the rest of us who are paying billions yearly in food stamps, Medicaid, housing assistance, and welfare to make up the difference. This is a no brainer!
  • Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
    • No.
      The American Medical Association reaffirmed its opposition to marijuana legalization, but called the current federal approach to reducing the drug’s use “ineffective”. The AMA expressed support for “modification of state and federal laws to emphasize public health based strategies to address and reduce cannabis use”. The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that given the data supporting the negative health and brain development effects of marijuana in children and adolescents, ages 0 through 21 years, it is opposed to marijuana use in this population. The adverse effects of marijuana have been well documented, and studies have demonstrated the potential negative consequences of short and long term recreational use of marijuana in adolescents. Efforts to decriminalize marijuana should take place in conjunction with efforts to prevent marijuana use and promote early treatment of adolescents with marijuana use problems. It took years before the deleterious effects of tobacco were known.
  • Addiction/Overdoses: Do you believe the state is doing enough in response to the rise in heroin/opiate addiction and overdoses? If not, what else should be done?
    • Despite the inflammatory and irresponsible actions of Gov. LePage, I believe more responsible citizens and organizations across the state have come to the realization that addiction, especially to heroin/opiates, is a Public Health Crisis for Maine. Whenever there is such a crisis, it becomes the responsibility for all of us to work together. I was pleased to see the gathering and end product of the work of the Maine Opiate Collaborative. The Maine Medical Association has been criss crossing the state to engage physicians. The state has received assistance from the American Medical Association (AMA) and the U.S. CDC. As the new Chair of the New England Delegation to the AMA, this crisis was a priority of how all New England states can work together to stem the rising tide of this epidemic. Our efforts must remain continuous and must always include Law Enforcement, Health Professionals, Educators and everyday citizens. We need to make certain that education of our children about drug addiction begins as early as possible. I do believe however, that the current consolidation of roles and responsibilities at the Department of Health and Human Services could be detrimental in the long term for future public health crises.

 

Injustice Never Rules Forever: A Chance to Be Better, For the Common Good

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What and who have we become? Have we lost all sense of decency and mutual respect? It seems that it has become a part of standard parlance to resort to “throw them in jail”. This pattern is especially alarming coming from Governor Paul LePage and his idol GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. This behavior is not what is to be expected of those who cast themselves as leaders, not our governor or Mr. Trump. Most of us can withstand adversity, but if you want to see a person’s true character, put him in a position of power.

Governor LePage has once again decided to cast himself in a negative spotlight, providing a discordant and disparaging view to the rest of the nation on the good people of Maine. His latest “un-leader like” endeavor occurred this past week when he went “ full metal jacket” against two of his fellow citizens, Ben Chin and Mike Tipping, both representing The Maine People’s Alliance, a progressive advocacy group standing for and promoting the passage of the Maine ballot initiative to increase the minimum wage. Because of their efforts and beliefs, Governor LePage chose to deal with their press conference by once again over reacting and stating that “they should be thrown in jail for what they’re doing to the elderly”. Mind you, the governor never mentioned what he is doing to Maine’s elderly population by his refusal to release a $15 million senior housing bond approved by 70% of Maine voters.

The governor went on to admit that his sometimes coarse vocabulary “needs improvement, and that he sometimes says things he shouldn’t. “If my grandmother were here, she’d have a bar of soap and make me chew it”. It’s too bad that grandma isn’t around today. Now in all fairness, we all have our core beliefs and the governor is no different in this regard. The problem for the governor is that he has no filter for what comes out of his mouth. He keeps forgetting Rule #1: if you don’t want anyone to know, don’t say it.

The idea of throwing people in jail simply because their beliefs do not mesh with your beliefs prompted me to take another look at the Constitution of The State of Maine, and in particular, Article 1, Section 4. This section of the Constitution explicitly refers to Freedom of speech and publication, libel, truth given in evidence and jury determination of law and fact. “Every citizen may freely speak, write and publish sentiments on any subject, being responsible for the abuse of this liberty; no laws shall be passed regulating or restraining the freedom of the press; and in prosecutions for any publication respecting the official conduct of people in public capacity, or the qualifications of those who are candidates for the suffrages of the people, or where the matter published is proper for public information, the truth thereof may be given in evidence, and in all indictments for libels, the jury, after having received the direction of the court, shall have a right to determine, at their discretion, the law and the fact.” There does not appear to be a clause stating that people should be automatically “thrown in jail”.

Governor LePage, to this day, has not learned the difference between management and leadership. You manage things, you lead people. Injustice never reigns forever. Hitting people over the head is not leadership, its assault. A guiding principle that the governor might want to remember is that if he showed a little respect, a little humility, a little more honesty and a little more integrity, he might be amazed at what could be accomplished for the common good of Maine citizens.

Donald Trump and Sexual Assault: The Nail That Sticks Out Gets Hammered First

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“The words my husband used are unacceptable and offensive to me,” read the statement, which was released by the campaign. “This does not represent the man that I know. He has the heart and mind of a leader. I hope people will accept his apology, as I have, and focus on the important issues facing our nation and the world.”—Melania Trump

Sorry, but I don’t think it’s that simple. What we have here is a man, a Presidential candidate, who doesn’t seem to understand the meaning of character. Character building begins in infancy and is a life-long process. It is the creation of self in pursuit of one’s full potential, affected by those who bear us and reinforced by how we are raised. If you were to civilize a man, begin with his grandmother.

Sexual assault is a crime of power and control. Let’s be perfectly clear. It is never the fault of the person who is assaulted. Trump has taken on a way of life rooted in his own illusionary vision of power and control. He is a hack whose actions depend to a great extent upon fear, ego and a lack of self-confidence and self-control. It is this spur of his ignorance, an innate consciousness of willful intent, no matter how disdainful or distasteful, of not wanting to understand because he expects to get away with it. In this sense, Donald Trump is a man who will do anything, fully with the understanding that he will suffer no consequences. He is incapable of climbing beyond the limitations of his own character. Character does not rely on success. It is more fundamental, preceding and outlasting all rewards. It is what your name stands for, and when it is lost, it is rarely ever recovered. His behavior to date has been nothing less than vulgar, vile, narcissistic and paternalistic.

So how does he handle these situations? His fallback is pivoting and transference. In his world, he is never responsible for anything he says or anything he does. His latest lewd comments are denounced as “locker room talk”, “boys will be boys” and “all men do the same thing”. Well, not exactly. First, his heart is not in the right place. Second, self-praise provides no credible recommendation and is not the same as self-confidence. He has found himself in a rat race and even if he thinks he has won, he is still a rat. His reckless pursuit of success has overtaken any sense of decency and respect for his fellow citizens, especially women and the “others”. His so-called fame has turned out to be a double edged sword and he has no one to blame but himself.

I will always remember the admonishments my parents gave me and my brothers whenever we left the house, whether heading to school, visiting friends or just interacting with our neighbors or the local neighborhood kids. “When you walk out that door, you are representing this family and its name. Act accordingly”. Donald Trump has made his choices. It is time for him to be held accountable for those choices. He is completely unfit to be President of The United States.

September 11, 2001: Life Is A Continuing Lesson In Humility And Humanity

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September 11, 2001 is a day that profoundly impacted all Americans. It was a day that I will never forget. Just 3 days earlier, I was inaugurated as President of the Maine Medical Association during the Association’s 148th Annual Session.

That following Tuesday was a scheduled office day for me. Nothing special or unusual. The patients were arriving as scheduled. I was prepared for a “normal day” at the office. The phones were ringing. There was the usual chatter of the patients in the waiting area. Undoubtedly, these same events were unfolding in physicians’ offices across Maine.

Suddenly everything changed with the news flashes on the television in the waiting area. Incredible! Unbelievable! Our nation was under attack. During this time, I received a phone call from a colleague about a patient she wanted to refer. We discussed the patient and decided on a plan of care. Our conversation then turned to the unfolding events in New York, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania. And then things got worse.

My colleague informed me that two of the passengers on American Flight 11 were from our local area. She gave me their names. Those names echoed immediately through my brain. The names were those of two of my patients. I slumped back into my chair as I sat at my desk. At that moment in time, I was truly humbled. Life is a continuing lesson in humility and humanity.

Historically, the medical profession has responded nobly in times of crisis. This is especially important in today’s world, as the potential scope of disasters continues to expand. We immediately contacted the Maine Emergency Management Agency and sent out a blast call to physicians across the state. The response of Maine physicians to the call for volunteers was overwhelming. Within an hour of the call for volunteers by the Maine Medical Association, there were over one hundred Maine physicians standing in line. As the day progressed, that number grew even larger.

As a community, we need to remain vigilant and always be prepared for catastrophic events, be they terrorist attacks or natural disasters, now more than ever before. The need for preparedness spans all of our communities, from individuals to state and local organizations. We must make certain that our hospitals and communities are actively involved in disaster preparedness on a continuing basis. All of these preparations are accompanied by the fervent hope that they will never be necessary. However, these are precautions that we must take.

Fifteen years later, I remain humbled and filled with the spirit of humanity in this place we call America.