FEDERAL ELECTION COMMISSION

PARTY APPROVAL PACKET

2019

Complete the following items to get campaign approval:

● Party Logo
● Party Slogan
● Theme Song Submission
● Party Platform Submission
● SUBMIT AS PDF

Submission deadline: Thursday, February 21, 2019

Campaigning may not begin until the full packet is completed and approved!
(​Please Note​ - If a​ ppropriateness guidelines​ are not followed, teachers reserve the right to deny approval.)

Party Name Yee Haw Gang

President Natalie Vinh

Vice President Eleanor Jacobo Becker

Economic Advisor Stevie Donecker

Press Secretary Sofia Kaloper

Campaign Manager Josh Kumler

Party Song Submission

Requirements Submission

Song Title Sweet Home Alabama

Artist/Band Lynyrd Skynyrd

Song URL Link to URL

Audio/video

Link to Lyrics LYRICS

Song Rationale for We chose Sweet Home Alabama because it is a very well-known song that
choice/Significance/ represents cowboys and the South as a whole. It’s upbeat, fun, and a good
Historical reference thing to represent our party.
Party Logo Submission

Requirements Submission

LOGO - Paste design into

box

Logo Rationale for This logo represents our Western ideals by portraying a cowboy boot with a
choice/Significance/Historic cowboy hat on top. It’s simple and recognizable.
al reference

Party Slogan Submission

Requirements Submission

Slogan Spurs on Our Boots and God in Our Hearts

Slogan Rationale for Our slogan represents our party’s love for Jesus and the Christian religion as
choice/Significance/Historic well as our Western roots, with the spurs on our boots.
al reference

Party Platform Submission

Party Platform MUST include the following issue areas. Each position statement should be at least one
paragraph long (a paragraph consists of a minimum of seven complete/high quality sentences). Include
two clear stances for each issue listed in a summary format. Every stance must be cited with research.
Hyperlinks to the name of the source are acceptable citations.
ISSUE Party Platform Stance

Foreign Policy Stance #1 - Stop messing with global Bullies

We need to make sure we put ourselves as a nation first. Although it is
important for the US to be involved in global affairs, as a superpower we
often feel obligated to help everyone. This ultimately ends up spreading our
resources too thin and putting American lives at stake. We plan to stop
selling weapons to Saudi Arabia because of how long we have allowed them
 to walk over us. and the fact that the American made weapons are being
used to commit atrocities. In order to make up for losing Saudi Arabia, we
will assist Venezuela in helping them rise out of poverty. This would help
them create more oil, which will make up for the 12 percent we would be
losing from Saudi Arabia. We also plan to drill more in The United States
and to increase security on oil rigs to prevent spills which causes us to lose
oil.
Citation #1 -​“U.S.-Saudi Arabia Relations.” ​Council on Foreign Relations​, Council on
Foreign Relations, 7 Dec. 2018, ​www.cfr.org/backgrounder/us-saudi-arabia-relations​.

Flintoff, Corey. “Where Does America Get Oil? You May Be Surprised.” ​NPR​, NPR, 12 Apr.
2012,
www.npr.org/2012/04/11/150444802/where-does-america-get-oil-you-may-be-surprised​.

Stance #2 - Staying Independent

The Yee Haw Gang believes that keeping to ourselves and not starting any
wars will greatly benefit us. The U.S. has spent billions of dollars going into
other countries to stop or support oppressive regimes. This is a massive
waste of money that we spend every single year. In 2015, we spent almost
600 billion dollars on military, this could be significantly cut by not
wastefully going into wars.We can better channel that spending to instead
put money back into programs that can fix America's problems. we would
also like to put that money towards funding foreign aid programs in
countries that we have assisted in impovershing. We would like a majority
of that portion of the funds to go to education for women, micro loans and,
maternal and female health programs. this is because many studies have
shown that women are critical in lifting nations out of poverty.
Citation #2 -
Kristof, Nicholas, and Sheryl WuDunn. ​Half the Sky.​ Knopf, 2009.

“Military Spending in the United States.” ​National Priorities Project​,

www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/military-spending-united-states/.

Education Stance #1 - Reform the College Application

We believe that low income shouldn’t limit your opportunity to a higher
education. Therefore, we are reforming secondary education to look at all
aspects of an applicant’s profile. ThoughtCo states that a holistic approach
looks at every part of the applicant’s profile, instead of just test scores or
GPAs. We will ensure that colleges will use extremely holistic processes to
examine the quality of an applicant, looking at factors such as graduation
rates, quality of facilities, teacher records, and more. This way, decisions
will not be solely based on merit, which can vary due to the quality of the
education. We believe that the quality of a person’s intelligence can’t always
be measured simply by scores or grades. Due to the variance in quality
education available, we want to make sure that every student will get the
opportunity to a better future.

Citation #1 -
Grove, Allen. “What Do Colleges Mean by Holistic Admissions, Anyway?”
 Thoughtco.,​ Dotdash, 30 May 2018,
www.thoughtco.com/what-are-holistic-admissions-788426.

Stance #2 - Fund Low-Income College

College For America writes that that low-income students tend to either not
finish college or not attend college at all because of high tuition cost. We
want to change that. We believe that every student deserves their shot at an
education, especially if that degree would help build a future outside of
poverty. Part of our taxes on higher income areas will go towards funding
futures for these communities. Additionally, we plan to offer reduced tuition
at several accredited government-run institutions. Although we cannot
promise education at private institutions, we will still offer plenty of options
that will give these students the same futures and opportunities as other
income families. We believe that these resources will make a real difference
in the future generations of our nation.

Citation #2 -
“Addressing the College Completion Gap Among Low-Income Students.”
College For America,​ 3 Oct. 2018,
collegeforamerica.org/college-completion-low-income-students/.

Crime/Criminal Justice Stance #1 - Rehabilitate for Misdemeanors, Punish for Felonies

System According to Time Magazine, extremely violent crimes first occurred in the
1980s. However, many prisoners are often incarcerated for small crimes,
and are hardly ever dangerous or violent. A solution to this issue of
over-incarceration would be to issue community service, probation, or heath
treatment to criminals who are in prison for non-violent crimes instead of
serving jail time. We believe that a harsh punishment isn’t always necessary.
Therefore, we are choosing to offer treatment to prisoners who have
committed smaller misdemeanor crimes, such as drug possession or robbery,
in order to reduce the rate of those unfairly incarcerated. We will still
maintain firm punishments and lengthy jail time on serious felonies such as
murder.

Citation #1 -
Chettiar, Lauren-Brooke Eisen and Inimai. “39% Of Prisoners Should Not
Be in Prison.” ​Time,​ Time, 9 Dec. 2016,
time.com/4596081/incarceration-report/ Accessed 2/20/2019

Stance #2 - Maximum Security Limitations

Life in a maximum security prison should be considered cruel and unusual
punishment. Cells consist of four walls of pure concrete, and inmates are
required to spend between 22 to 23 hours a day isolated in the 6 by 8 foot
room. Inmates are then allowed to spend 1-2 hours in ‘recreation,’ which is a
small fenced area for exercise. However, these recreation periods are often
canceled for no reason at all. Because of these horrendous living conditions,
rehabilitation of maximum security inmates is nearly impossible.
 Additionally, imprisoned children need a healthy environment to develop,
and we believe that maximum security hinders that development. For this
reason, we believe that no children should be placed in maximum security
prisons. Additionally, we believe that only extremely violent inmates, or
inmates with multiple escape attempts should placed in a maximum security
cell for a very limited amount of time.

Citation #2 -
Hager, Eli. “My Life in the Supermax.” The Marshall Project, The Marshall
Project, 8 Jan. 2016,
www.themarshallproject.org/2016/01/08/my-life-in-the-supermax.

Cyber Security Stance #1 - Pro Net Neutrality

Our party is pro net neutrality. Our net must stay protected by net neutrality
in order to allow our citizens access to unbiased information and the
freedom of choice. Net neutrality will allow citizens to pick which websites
they choose to surf as well as which services to stream. It will also promote
healthy competition and innovation between competing companies. Without
net neutrality, companies would be able to filter web results and even slow
the streaming capability of certain websites. Under our party’s net neutrality
laws, internet service providers, such as Comcast and AT&T, will not be
allowed to block or slow down one’s access to content. In order to continue
to uphold the safety of our intent, our party will make sure that the
constitution is amended to protect and support net neutrality.

Citation #1 - ​Selyukh, Alina. “U.S. Appeals Court Upholds Net Neutrality

Rules In Full.” ​NPR​, NPR, 14 June 2016,
www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/14/471286113/u-s-appeals-c
ourt-holds-up-net-neutrality-rules-in-full.

Stance #2 - Outlaw Omegle

In an effort to protect children from predators, our party would ban the
service of Omegle. Omegle is an online website aming to connect strangers
for conversations. However, when one signs onto the site, typically all they
see is inappropriate imagery. Children as young as 10 are being exposed to
indecency and their innocence is being tainted. By banning Omegle, young
children will be protected from predators. While people who truly wanted to
enter the site would always find a way, making it extremely difficult to
access would prevent young children from viewing the adult imagery.
People caught accessing the site would be given at least a $1000 fine.

Citation #2 -
Owen, Cathy. “Predator Used Live Streaming Website to Get Girls to
Perform Sex Acts.” ​Walesonline​, Walesonline, 24 Oct. 2017,
www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/predator-used-live-streaming-
website-13804256.
Civil Liberties Stance #1 - The Right to Abortion
Our party believes that women have the right to their own body and are
therefore are entitled to the right of abortion. Roe v. Wade was a landmark
decision that allowed abortion within the United States. With southern
hospitality being one of our party’s strongest values, we believe that women
should not only keep this right, but should not be shamed for making the
decision. The Yee Haw Gang will uphold the decision of Roe v. Wade.
However, we will additionally place a limit on what point the fetus can be
aborted. Our party agrees that the fetus becomes viable around 24 weeks.
Exceptions to this rule will be made if the birth of a child poses a serious
health risk to the mother. Parental consent will not be necessary if the child
is under the age of 18, however a counselor will be assigned to the minor to
help them through the process.

Citation #1 -
Danielsson, Krissi, and Meredith Shur. “What Are the Odds of My
Premature Baby Surviving?” ​Verywell Family,​ Verywellfamily,
www.verywellfamily.com/premature-birth-and-viability-2371529.

Stance #2 - Cannot Refer to Grilling Hot Dogs as Barbecue

The right to thje freedom of speech is a civil liberty, however the yee haw
party will no longer allow the use of misinformation as a liberty. Most
Americans are uneducated on the difference between grilling and barbecue.
As a result, citizens are claiming barbecue when they are simply grilling.
This cooking misinformation only spreads as parents make use of such false
terminology in front of their children. Grilling is done with an open top and
the heat only approaches the food from one side at a time. Barbecue on the
other hand, is far more intricate as the lid remains shut and heat approaches
the food from all sides. This law will be aimed directly at restaurants and
other food services. Health inspectors will be given the job of ensuring the
use of proper terminology and if the establishment is found to be using the
wrong term a fine will be given. The primary fine will be small, with it
raising by a percentage after each infraction. By addressing this issue, we
can help prevent the spread of fake news throughout this country.

Citation #2 -
Cole, Megan. “Grill vs Barbecue – Do You Know the Difference?” ​Global
News,​ Global News, 13 June 2014,
globalnews.ca/news/1392015/grill-vs-barbecue-do-you-know-the-differe
nce/.

Taxes Stance #1 - Tax the Rich, Feed the Poor

Taxes should be directly proportional to incomes, and therefore taxes should
be much heavier on the rich. We do not believe that one marginalized group
of people should hold most of the country’s wealth when there are high
numbers of low-income citizens struggling to get by. We have a simple
 solution for this: tax the rich, feed the poor. The extra taxes instilled on the
rich will directly fund soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and after school
food programs. A writer at the New York Times writes that anti-poverty
programs have proven to have long-lasting benefits to low-income children
and families. Because taxes are proportional to income, the extra rates will
not make a significant difference in the financial status of the upper class.
Instead, there will be further options for free and/or affordable meal plans
for low-income areas using government funds. Some upper class citizens
will be able to be exempt from the food tax if able to provide a history of
donating and/or volunteering throughout the fiscal year.

Citation #1 -
Bernstein, Jared. “To Lift the Poor, You Can't Avoid Taxing the Rich.” ​The
New York Times​, The New York Times, 19 May 2014,
www.nytimes.com/2014/05/20/upshot/to-lift-the-poor-you-cant-avoid-ta
xing-the-rich.html.

Stance #2 - No Gas Tax

Gasoline taxes are often used to carry out city-wide governmental projects
such as road work or other construction. The Prospect writes that cutting
these taxes will save citizens billions of dollars over the decades. We don’t
believe that your money should be spent on maintenance repair in areas you
don’t ever visit. Construction funding will instead be taken out of yearly
income taxes and used based off of the sector it came from, so your money
won’t be used to fund projects in other neighborhoods or districts. Without
the gas tax, gas prices will be considerably lower as well and more
affordable, even in more expensive states such as California. Due to the
funding coming out of taxes elsewhere, projects will still occur without an
extra cost to the citizen.

Citation #2 -
Gurley, Gabrielle. “California Gears Up for a Gas Tax Clash.” ​The
American
Prospect,​ 21 Sept. 2018,
prospect.org/article/california-gears-gas-tax-clash.

Healthcare Stance #1 - Mandatory Vaccinations

Our party will require mandatory vaccinations for all citizens. If the
vaccination percentage drops below 90 percent, herd immunity will not
work. Therefore, the vaccination population must stay as high as possible in
order to protect those who are too sick or young to get vaccinated. In order
to do so, we will make it illegal for parents to not vaccinate their children.
Vaccines will be required for school attendance, and doctors will be required
by law to report any child who has not had their vaccines yet to the CDC. If
a child is too sick, young, or has other proof to not receive a vaccination, a
medical exemption will be issued. It will no longer be up to the parent to
 determine whether or not the child is vaccinated, as the choice not to
vaccinate their child can impact someone else’s child.

Citation #1 -  
Carvel, D. “Childhood Vaccination: Should It Be Mandatory?” ​Bmj,​ vol.
345, no. nov 06 5, 2012,
doi:10.1136/bmj.e7232.​https://www.bmj.com/bmj/section-pdf/187542?p
ath=/bmj/344/7858/Head_to_Head.full.pdf
 
Stance #2 - Affordable Healthcare
In 2016, drug companies made over 1.05 trillion dollars. Healthcare prices
are at an all time high, and Americans are suffering because of it. The
Commonwealth Fund reports that in 2014 alone, 35 million Americans did
not refill their medications because of the cost of the drugs. In order to allow
citizens the ability to become or remain healthy, it is necessary to reduce the
cost of healthcare. To do so, our government will make it impossible for
drug companies to patent their drugs. In the case of penicillin, the
composition was never patented, so the antibiotic stays as one of the
cheapest possible drugs. By preventing drug companies from patenting their
medications and chemical compounds, it will dramatically reduce the cost of
healthcare. Healthcare and the lives of Americans should not be a business
venture, and by effectively eliminating the market for medicine, Americans
will be able to afford their health.

Citation #2 - ​“We Can Make Medicine Affordable.” ​U.S. News & World
Report,​ U.S. News & World Report,
www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2016-10-05/the-us-can-make-prescription
-drugs-more-affordable.

Environment Stance #1 - Mandatory Recycling and Composting

The YHG cares greatly about the status of the environment. We know that
climate change is real, and we want to do what we can to protect and help
our environment, little by little. Therefore, one policy we are implementing
is mandatory recycling and composting. San Francisco has issued an
ordinance requiring these separation of materials that we are basing our
nation-wide policy off of. Tenants will be fined if the bins are not utilized
properly. Each tenant will be provided with composting and recycling bins,
and collectors will offer help moving bins to the curb for elderly and
disabled tenants. Lastly, aside from a fine, tenants will receive a small tax
break by providing proof of following the ordinance.

Citation #1 -
“Recycling & Composting in San Francisco - Frequently Asked Questions
(FAQs).” ​Sfenvironment.org - Our Home. Our City. Our Planet​, 23 Mar.
2018, sfenvironment.org/recycling-composting-faqs.

Stance #2 - Extra Charges on Overuse of Utilities

 In order to reduce climate change, we want to reduce the amount of
electricity and gas used in households. Therefore, we are requiring all utility
providers to implement an extra charge when usage goes over the baseline
needed for day-to-day living. A utilities company in San Diego has
implemented this policy of which we are basing ours off of. There will be a
percentage charge on different increments over the baseline, such as 100%,
200%, and 500%. These charges will hopefully serve as an incentive for
citizens to use less gas and electricity due to the high costs of the service.
Additionally, we hope to implement an even higher punishment. If utilities
consistently soar over the baseline, companies will have the obligation to
shut off access.

Citation #2 -
“High Usage Charge.” ​America's Best Energy Company | San Diego Gas &
Electric​, www.sdge.com/high-usage-charge.

Military Stance #1 - Pull Out of Wars

While the military is beneficial for wars, it is only necessary to keep them
there when the problem has no other choice. The U.S. has put too many
troops in wasteful wars that do not need immediate intervention. For
example, troops have been placed in Syria since 2015 under the
presidentiary of Barack Obama. When we send in troops, it should have full
backing from Congress, not only declared by the president. Everytime the
U.S stays in a war, it is costing us billions of dollars; money that can be
spent boosting the economy. Too many lives are put at risk for situation that
do not serve as an immediate threat to the U.S. Therefore, we plan to pull
out troops from most of the wars that we are in right now and remain at
peace unless absolutely necessary.

Citation #1 -
Press, The Associated. “A Look at US Involvement in Syria's Civil War.”
Military Times,​ Military Times, 19 Dec. 2018,
www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2018/12/19/a-look-at-us-inv
olvement-in-syrias-civil-war/.

Timm, Trevor. “Trump Is Right to Withdraw US Troops from Syria | Trevor

Timm.” ​The Guardian,​ Guardian News and Media, 21 Dec. 2018,
www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/21/trump-syria-withdra
wal-us-troops.

Stance #2 - Keep a Strong Military

As previously mentioned, it's important to pull out of wars, but that does not
mean we should get completely rid of our military. The whole reason for a
military should be to protect our nation from others who wish to harm it. If
we go off this, than we need a strong military. Even though we are not going
to outright invade other countries, it is still important to know that others
 think of us as strong. If we are seen as unprotected, it is likely that we will
get invaded ourselves. For example, China and the U.S. are currently
fighting to see who can create the bigger nukes. This is an example to show
that we should not be messed with, as we have weaponry, but it still doesn't
necessarily mean we should go and nuke other nations. We will promise to
continuously build a strong military to protect the U.S. from imposing
nations.

Citation #2 -
Blumenthal, Dan. “Are We Headed for a Cold War With China?” ​The New
York Times​, The New York Times, 2 Apr. 2015,
www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/05/02/are-we-headed-for-a-cold
-war-with-china/a-strong-military-keeps-the-threat-of-war-small​.

Davenport, Kelsey. “Fact Sheets & Briefs.” ​Can the U.S. and Russia Avert a
New Arms Race? | Arms Control Association​, Arms Control, June 2018,
www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/Nuclearweaponswhohaswhat​.

Immigration Stance #1 - Reform immigration system

As long as people are willing to work hard in this country, they should not
be turned away or have to wait up to twenty years for a green card. It should
not matter what country they are from; we believe that immigrants are what
make this country great. Therefore, we want to raise the annual limits on
employment-based green cards from 140,000 to 240,000. We would also
like to not have quota systems based on countries, so that no matter where
you come from, you can apply for a green card in the United States. We
believe this will allow our country to economically prosper as well as it has
been scientifically proven that a more diverse work space leads to more
creativity in ideas. We also think that these policies will make us stronger
leaders. Allowing immigrants from all over will make us considerably more
respectable to other nations’ leaders.

Citation #1 -
Anderson, Stuart. “Bill Aims To End Decades-Long Waits For High-Skilled
Immigrants.” ​Forbes​, Forbes Magazine, 15 Feb. 2019,
www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2019/02/15/bill-aims-to-end-decad
es-long-waits-for-high-skilled-immigrants/#598fd3597b85.

Stance #2 - Easy Asylum Process

Our party wants to follow international law and improve the system to take
in asylum seekers. Asylum seekers will be able to apply at the United States
border and the process should only take anywhere from an hour to a day. A
month after the person has arrived in the country, they will be expected to
have some living accommodations and a job. If they don’t, they will be put
in touch with services to help them find one or both. All minors received at
the border who claim to have relatives or acquaintances living in the country
will be sent to said acquaintance. Around a month later, someone will check
 to make sure the child is in a safe and secure living environment. All minors
who arrive at the border and are granted asylum, but do not have family in
the country, will be put into the foster care program. If more than 50,000
refugees come into the country, we would like to make a deal with Canada
to send some there.

Citation #2 -
Valverde, Miriam. “The GOP Proposal to Change the U.S. Asylum System,
Explained.” ​@Politifact,​ 23 Jan. 2019,
www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2019/jan/23/examining-republi
can-proposal-change-us-asylum-sys/.

Various Stances Stance #1 - Teachers don’t pay property tax

It is a well known fact that teachers are underpaid, and as the Yee Haw Gang
highly values education, we are petitioning to allow teachers exemptions
from paying property taxes. Teacher salaries are extremely low and result in
teachers moving from school to school attempting to find a livable salary.
This results in complete chaos in the public school system. The money
gathered from property taxes are used to fund public schools, so when a
teacher pays a property tax they are effectively losing money to pay their
own salaries. By allowing teachers a property tax exemption, the profession
will seem more appealing to young people. Since low teacher salaries have
resulting in an extreme teacher shortage, many school systems are being
forced to hire untrained teachers. The teacher property tax exemption
proposed would also grant a tax deduction for the cost of becoming a
certified teacher. By allowing teachers these exemptions, schools will be
able to function at a far better level.

Citation #1 -
Keefer. “Where Does the Money from Property Taxes Go?” ​Home Guides |
SF Gate,​ 19 Dec. 2018,
homeguides.sfgate.com/money-property-taxes-go-52339.html.

Stance #2 - Improvement of the foster care system

in the United states 437,500 children are in the foster care system the statics
on the kids who have been in or grow up in the system are extremely
unsettling.”More than one in five former foster youth become homeless after
age 18.One in four young people become involved with the criminal-justice
system within two years of leaving foster care. Seventy-one percent of
young women who age out of foster care become pregnant by age 21. Just
58% of foster youth graduate from high school by age 19, and fewer than
3% complete a four-year college degree by age 25.” Though there is a lack
of people willing to become foster parents we still need to do better to stop
cases of neglect and abuse. we propose fist more money being put into the
system, more training and observation of parents. And a greater numbers of
staff and foster parents from a wider set of racial backgrounds and
geographic locations.
Citation #2 -
Anspach, Rachel. “The Foster Care System in the United States, Explained.”
Teen Vogue,​ TeenVogue.com, 31 May 2018,
www.teenvogue.com/story/how-foster-care-works-in-the-united-states.