2018EQUITY PARTYPLATFORM

AS APPROVED BY THE EQUITY PLATFORM COMMITTEEDECEMBER 5, 2018 - DURHAM, NC

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preamble

Abortion A Woman’s Choice Lessening Loopholes

Defense/National Security Promoting Peace Not War Cutting Government Spending

Education Empowering Teachers Empowering Students

Environment/Global Warming Going Green Reducing Global Warming

LGBTQ/Gay Rights Love Is Love

Gun Control Who Can Buy A Gun What Kinds Of Guns Can Be Purchased Closing Loopholes

Healthcare Free Healthcare Universal Healthcare

Tax Reform Increasing Taxes On The Wealthy Lessening Burdens On The Middle Class Eliminating Taxes On The Poor Small Businesses

Preamble

Many people talk about the need for equality, for equal treatment of everyone in order to be fair.

While this is not a bad idea, the Equity Party believes there is a better idea. Equity involves

different treatment of everyone so they can all reach their own goals and be successful. Because

we all start from different places, and have different strengths and weaknesses, people will need

help and support in different areas. The Equity Party believes in supporting people in their

pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.

AbortionEquity Party members are pro choice, and believe that it is the business of a woman and her

doctor to decide whether or not she gets an abortion, and that abortion should be legal in all fifty

states. We are in support of women who abort babies because they were conceived by rape, or

because they could cause harm to the mother. However, we do not support abortions after the

first trimester unless they are done out of concern for the health of the mother.

A Woman’s Choice

No matter you views on the abortion process, Equity Party members are united in their belief that

whether a woman gets an abortion is her business, and is not up for discussion by the general

public. A woman should not be required to seek approval or consent to get an abortion, whether

it be from her family members, doctors, or the baby’s father. What a woman chooses to do with

her own body is her own choice.

Lessening Loopholes

At this point in our country, there are many loopholes that women must jump through in order to

get an abortion. Equity Party members believe that those loopholes should be seriously limited

and mostly removed. Many states require women to get counseling on the breast cancer link to

abortion and on fetal pain caused by an abortion before they can get an abortion. We believe that

this should not be allowed. Scientists have no way of knowing what, if any, pain the fetus feels

while being aborted. Rules of this type are clearly intended only to make women feel guilty, and

should not be legislated. These decisions should be decided between a woman and her doctor.

Defense/National SecurityEquity Party members believe that the military should be used primarily for peace, and not for

war. However, if the time comes that the US is being threatened and attacked by another country,

war should be used as a last resort. We also want to significantly decrease the amount of money

going into our military each year.

Promoting Peace Not War

Equity Party members are firm believers that war is not always the answer. We want to

dramatically change when and how our country gets involved in war. We want the government

to consider other strategies before resorting to war. Holding meetings with the leaders of foreign

nations to resolve disagreements and disputes is a much better solution than shedding our own

countryman's blood. Sending peacemakers to our allies and offering support through our

resources would be much more beneficial for the US people than entering every war our allies

take part in.

Cutting Government Spending

The US spends hundreds of billions of dollars on our armed forces, something Equity Party

members believe must change. For example the upkeep of a nuclear arsenal big enough to

destroy the Earth is clearly overkill. Decreasing funding for national defense would allow for

money go to other causes.

EducationEquity Party members believe that they key to a good education system is to empower both

students and teachers. We believe that empowerment is key for getting teachers a higher quality

job experience, and getting students a better education.

Empowering Teachers

First and foremost, Equity Party members believe that empowering teachers starts with raising

teacher pay. That would allow schools to attract better teachers, which would translate into

students getting a better education. We believe that it is fine for the government to regulate what

teachers teach, but not how they teach it. Overall, the more support and respect we give our

teachers, the better educated our children will be.

Empowering Students

Students need less competition. Students are under enough stress in our school system as it is,

and competition with their classmates isn’t helping. Building a more cooperative environment

will help everyone learn more easily, and get more out of school. Equity Party members

particularly support the empowerment of students with learning disabilities. Students with

learning disabilities are typically some of the hardest working, and could be some of the smartest

if schools weren’t as combative with them. On a daily basis these students are being pushed

down, rather than pulled up. Every time a student is not given a modification they need to reach

their full potential by an administrator, or are denied an existing modification by a teacher, they

feel less and less supported, and their ability to achieve plummets. We believe that reducing

stress and creating a more supportive environment will help all students to be more successful.

Environment/Global WarmingEquity Party members believe that our country needs to start being truly mindful of the Earth,

and its limited resources. That starts with lowering pollution, increasing recycling, and using

renewable energy sources. In politics today, our leaders stray away from the topic of global

warming, saying that it is fake, made up by scientists, not really happening, and unimportant.

Equity Party members want to shift that mindset, immediately. We want the Earth to last for

many, many more generations to come, and believe that many changes must occur in order for

that to happen.

Going Green

Humans have a huge affect on the world around them. From what we take from the Earth, to

what we put into it, our actions have numerous repercussions. Limiting pollution would hugely

benefit the Earth, and all of the creatures that live and thrive on it. Pollution, particularly in big

cities, makes breathing much harder, especially for people with asthma. But it's not just on land

that pollution is harmful. The amount of pollution and trash in the ocean is terrible, killing

hundreds of sea creatures a day. Both recycling and using renewable energy sources would assist

in cutting down on pollution.

Reducing Global Warming

Global warming is a huge, soon to be life threatening, issue that we need to stop ignoring. While

other parties sit by and do nothing, we are watching the ozone layer rot, and our Earth along with

it. We need lawmakers and a president who will do something, and recognize that scientists have

decades of research backing up their claims. We need change, and that is something the Equity

Party will provide.

LGBTQ/Gay RightsEquity Party members are fully supportive of the LGBTQ community. We believe that anyone

can love anyone. Men can love men, men can love women, women can love women, people can

love people. We also believe that there should be no barriers stopping someone from expressing

their love for another person, and that gay marriage should continue to be legal in this country.

Love Is Love

We believe that anyone should be able to love and marry whomever they want too, without being

discriminated against based on their sexuality. The Equity Party applauds the recent Supreme

Court decision legalizing gay marriage. However, the discrimination associated with being

LGBTQ has not ended. We believe in equity of love, and equity of rights, for everyone. That

means that there should be the same requirements, rules, and standards for any person, whether

that person be LGBTQ or straight.

Gun ControlEquity Party members believe in strict gun regulations, dealing not only with who can buy a gun,

but also what kind of guns can be bought.

Who Can Purchase A Gun

One of the major causes of mass shootings is mental illness. In order to decrease the number of

lives lost due to shooters who are mentally ill, Equity Party members believe that background

checks are necessary. No one who has a mental illness, a former gun conviction, or is living with

a someone with a mental illness should be allowed to buy a gun. Having that rule in place would

significantly decrease school and other mass shootings.

What Kinds Of Guns Can Be Purchased

Another major factor in the death counts of mass shootings are the types of guns being used in

them. The Equity Party believes that only military personnel should have access to military

caliber guns. The selling of military caliber guns for non military purposes should be illegal.

Only lower caliber handguns, and hunting rifles should be legally sold. Also, guns should be sold

along with locked safes or other security mechanisms, so that children and anyone else not

supposed to get their hands on one are unable to.

Closing Loopholes

Straw purchases are defined as purchases made by a person eligible to buy a gun for someone

who is not eligible. Under the Equity Party, Straw Purchasers will face heavy consequences. In

addition, many people bypass background checks by purchasing guns at gun shows. The Equity

Party believes in universal mandatory background checks.

HealthcareEquity Party members believe in free, universal healthcare, to eliminate the need for health

insurance. The thing with health insurance is, you don’t want it until you need it. Health

insurance is expensive, and many families can’t afford it. They are required to risk huge

expenses if a health emergency were to come along in order to make ends meet.

Free Healthcare

We believe that having free health care is essential. Many people stop getting health insurance

simply because they cannot afford it, and haven’t had a great enough need for it in the past to

make it worth the expense. Catching diseases early will save money. Women who can’t afford to

get mammograms could get breast cancer, which is a lot more expensive to deal with later. That

is why Equity Party members think that universal healthcare is necessary.

Universal Healthcare

Not only should healthcare be free, but it should also be available to everyone in the US, not just

citizens. Our country is increasingly global. Many people come to our country for school or jobs,

and still deserve and need healthcare. Requiring someone to leave the country simply because

they get sick and can’t afford treatment here is counter to the beliefs of the Equity Party.

Tax ReformEquity Party members believe that when it comes to the economy and taxes, everyone must pay

their fair share. The amount of taxes an individual must pay should be calculated based on

factors including income, cost of living, and number of family members being provided for.

Increasing Taxes On The Wealthy

Those in the upper class need to be paying more taxes. While the amount they pay is great, the

percentage of their income paid to taxes is lower than that of Middle Class and Poor families.

Equity Party members believe that that has to change.

Lessening Burdens On The Middle Class

The Equity Party believes that taxes for the average American are reasonable if those tax dollars

are used to provide services, such as health care and excellent public schools.

Eliminating Taxes On The Poor

Equity Party members are firm believers in the elimination of taxes on the poor. Removing the

sales tax, for example, would greatly benefit the poorest Americans.

Small Businesses

Taxes on small businesses should be decreased. This would allow more small businesses to

thrive, and stimulate local economies. Larger corporations and conglomerates should pull more

of the weight of being taxed. The Equity Party will put these reforms into action.