Karen R. Vachon

Republican

Candidate’s Links:

Office sought: Representative – District 29
Age: 57
Occupation: Licensed Health Insurance Agent
Education: BA Business Administration, New England College
Hometown: Scarborough
Family: Married to Peter; Children: Jay, Sam, Thomas

Political experience:

State Representative for Coastal Scarborough, 127th Legislature – 2014-2016. Served on the Health & Human Services Committee. Maine’s part-time citizen legislature is open to all walks of life; as a licensed health insurance agent trained and certified in Obamacare and Medicare, I believe this experience is needed in Augusta.

Why are you running for office?

I love Maine and her people. Our beautiful state is abundant in natural beauty; rich in resource and people. Maine’s allure of natural, holistic, healthy, clean and sustainable living is not reflective in our policy. This needs to change.

Maine has negative natural population growth; we have the oldest median age of 43.5; nearly, 2/3rds of Maine graduates leave Maine upon graduation. This is a reflection of bad policy; when bad policy doesn’t pass the legislature, big money and out-of-state resources garner signatures to put bad referendum on the ballot like the five questions this November. Mainer’s beware!

It is time for the hard-working, creative, people of Maine to take their state back. I trust and believe in the people of Maine more than Government. I envision a healthy and prosperous Maine uniquely positioned to cultivate a creative economy where small business thrives and meaningful jobs abound. It’s time for Maine to break free from over taxation, welfare dependence and energy inefficiencies.

Sustainable economic recovery takes time. We are a culture that touts natural. Our policy and referendum questions can be likened to un-natural fertilizer. Tax, spend, and bailout is killing this beautiful state. Recovery happens naturally; I bring to Augusta an optimistic vision that believes less is more; patience is a virtue. I am honored to represent Scarborough in the 127th Legislature; I enjoyed my service, and I would like to continue to serve.

• 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?
  • Yes.
    We need to attract individuals to work and raise their families; incentivize businesses to locate and expand here; and retain and attract retirees to make Maine their residence.Maine’s tax system needs to align with the 21st century economy. I support transitioning our tax code from taxing earnings to the more modern model that taxes based on consumption. Today’s economy has produced home-based jobs allowing people to live anywhere. Would you like to keep more of your hard earned money or have your income taken by Maine’s income taxes? Maine graduates leave Maine for higher paying jobs that allow them to keep more of their paycheck.Maine loses high-income retirees due to income taxes. Additionally, we lose their intellect and wisdom. They settle elsewhere; get involved, and when they pass, leave assets to causes, organizations, and institutions they value. We need them here. Eliminating the income tax does this.
• Background Checks: Do you support background checks for privately sold firearms in Maine?
  • No.
    Passage of this referendum will take law-abiding gun owners and turn them into criminals. It is nearly impossible to enforce. Here’s an examples: If you want to loan a friend your gun during hunting season, your friend will have to have a background check before taking your gun. When your friend gives your gun back – before you can receive it, you will have to have a background check! Maine has appropriate background check laws in place already. This is a classic example of special interest out-of-state money telling Mainer’s how to live. Maine does not need a New York solution to a problem that Maine doesn’t have.
• 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?
  • No.
    There is no state in the country that has raised minimum wage across their whole state! The natural way to grow wages is to create demand. When your economy prospers, businesses compete to get the best workers. Wages increase naturally. In addition to raising the minimum wage, this referendum takes away server tip credits. For the good server, this is a pay cut. In a state that has developed a “foodie” culture, a key part of that restaurant experience is the server who takes care of you. There will be unintended consequences if this passes: Restaurants will reduce their wait staff and menu offerings, cashiers will be replaced with kiosks, cost of goods will go up; businesses will close. Passage of this referendum will especially hurt small businesses in the northern part of our state. This is a job and business killer!
• Marijuana: Do you support legalization of marijuana for recreational use?
  • No.
    Not only is Marijuana a gateway to addiction in a state that leads the country in drug addiction already, I believe it will impact tourism and have unintended consequences for our Medical Marijuana industry. When you add marijuana shops, bars, candies, sodas to the product mix, your tourism customer will change. Tourism is Maine’s largest industry – there’s too much at risk to this industry. I’m very concerned about how this will impact Maine’s Medical Marijuana program; the economic vitality of the non-psychoactive strains; the accessibility of specialized treatments, most especially for children.
• 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?
  • I believe the state has responded appropriately. There is no quick and easy fix to the opioid crisis affecting Maine and every state in the country. Money alone will not fix this crisis. Families have seen this firsthand with afflicted family members; the effectiveness of their recovery depends on their desire to recover. This is the work of society, not just the legislature. We need to focus on preventing addiction. The passage of the PMP bill this year restricts and better monitors prescribing of opioids. Doctors worked with the HHS committee (which I serve on) to successfully pass this bill. As a result of this bill, Maine is leading the nation in the development of new methods to treat pain. Every action has a reaction, and takes time to manifest. Maine should ponder marijuana referendum; as marijuana is a gateway to addiction. In a state that leads the nation in addiction already, this makes no sense. As a society, we need to destigmatize addiction. Affliction comes from all walks of life. Recovery isn’t easy. Maine needs more detox programs (and partners); residential resources such as sober houses with stringent oversights, and drug courts.