The Big Ideas Project

Each year between Mid-term and Presidential elections hold Congressional vote of confidence elections. By simple majority, the people may thus vote themselves a one-year right to quarterly public referendums, in order to ensure that government represents the People. Provide a counter-weight to oligarchy, prevent do-nothing squatters, and get the people's business done.

Submitted by Timothy Salt in Government & Elections Jan. 3, 2015, 12:33 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Convert federal corporate income tax into a franchise tax, i.e. a legal franchise to do business in the U.S. Start with GAAP income (used in SEC filings) and give credit for plant and equipment located in the U.S. and payroll paid to U.S. residents. The greater the U.S. percentage, the greater the credit.

Submitted by danaf3 in Taxes & Budget Dec. 11, 2014, 3:01 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Send most members of Congress away; vote them out of office and vote in office those who care something about ordinary Americans, about "we, the people."

Submitted by Jean Toles in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 11:40 a.m.

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#2000

41 votes

With the technology that we have, currently. Meaning that if we can design a space craft capable of going to Mars. Then we can surely design the necessary equipment to harvest water from the oceans, and expand the food production for the planet, now overflowing with almost 8 billion people. We have the technology. We can do this. For our children and our future.

Submitted by Nicole Maschke in Environment Dec. 18, 2014, 11:40 a.m.

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#2000

41 votes

End exclusionary zoning so the housing market is free. Freedom leads to prosperity. Housing is a necessity of life. We all have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. So we all should be free to be happy in a home of our own choosing.

Submitted by hermanjamers in Society & Community Dec. 10, 2014, 4:27 p.m. 1

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#2000

41 votes

Establish a Flat Tax applicable to every wage earner. The flat tax would be levied on every penny earned from any and all sources.

Submitted by Angry in Taxes & Budget Dec. 10, 2014, 1:43 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

The executive branch should end the malicious divisiveness by holding the GOP responsible for continuously forcing tax cuts on the US for the last 30 years, causing most of the 17.5 trillion $ cumulative US national debt. The GOP politicians mainly responsible should be tried for treason, stripped of political rights, and forced to confess if it was ignorance or some form of bribery that caused to apply Keynes principles to a global economy where only nations with low wage levels benefit.

Submitted by Peter H. from MO in Taxes & Budget Dec. 11, 2014, 11:09 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

There are better voting systems than the one we are in the habit of using. One reform we could adopt would be to allow a voter an equal opportunity to vote against as to vote for a candidate; there are a number of such systems of Balanced Voting. Approval voting is another approach - allowing each voter to approve (or in a balanced form, disapprove) of each of the candidates. Even IRV would be a better system. We should be adopting one or several of these better approaches.

Submitted by Gedanken in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 8:02 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Give workers an overtime differential federal tax credit if they work at multiple jobs totaling more than 40 at a rate less than a living wage but collecting no (or insufficient) overtime pay. Assess a penalty to businesses of more than 50 employees for their fair share of this externalized cost UNLESS the part-time work for their portion of the employee's work is already at a living wage. (A living wage, more than the minimum wage, would need to be defined, but let's assume $15/hr.)

Submitted by Kent Pitman in Taxes & Budget Dec. 26, 2014, 1:36 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

"THE QUARTER-MILLENNIUM OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY": A decade-long project to start in 2015, with an eye on the year 2026 when the United States will be 250 years old, to compile a progressive collection of proposed Constitutional Amendments that collectively will create a new Constitution 2.0 that will make the U.S. a truly 21st-century evolved developed nation that no longer is near the bottom of the OECD rankings in almost every significant socio-economic indicator.

Submitted by Gregory Wright, ADA So Cal Board Member in Government & Elections Dec. 22, 2014, 6:13 a.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Allow parents to earn credit by volunteering in not-for-profit organizations, govt. health care programs, or other areas identified by the government as beneficial to the public. The credit to be applied to sons/daughters private or federal student education loan.

Submitted by Rick Blaskovich in Education Dec. 18, 2014, 10:30 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

A Permanent Special Prosecutor needs to be empowered to oversee the White House, so that the executive branch remains within the law, with sufficient powers to stop lawbreaking and to prosecute those who violate the Constitution, the federal statutes and our international commitments, particularly the UN Charter. Torture crimes, false intelligence, lying to congress, wars of aggression and covert support to terrorist networks (Libya, Syria) destabilize the world.

Submitted by Political Film Blog in Government & Elections Dec. 17, 2014, 2:57 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

vastly simplify tax code by making all income of whatever kind directly subject to a single set of tax brackets, eliminate all deductions, except for dependents , institute a graduated (progressive) sales tax, shelter owner-occupied homes that are paid off and whose owners own no other real property from property tax

Submitted by robert w. from NM in Taxes & Budget Dec. 10, 2014, 6:59 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

We should go to the U.N. and look to establish a uniform world Corporate Tax Rate. This potentially solves a many problems, from Capital Flight, to Tax Evasion Strategies... Lets find a future Suma Cum Laude from one of the great universities to do a Master Thesis on it. Let us see if the potential ramifications. This "could" also dampen down currency wars through stabilization... You read it here first!

Submitted by joeyharp in Taxes & Budget Dec. 23, 2014, 8:17 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Town hall Meetings held nationally to discuss: #1.Ethical behavior for Banks & financial firms...Reinstate some law like the repelled Galss-Steagal Act. #2. Simplify our national tax codes so more of the American public appreciate it is more Fair. #3.Simulate leaning to the Small businesses Nationally.. #4. invest in American made products. Jay Dillon Santa Fe,NM

Submitted by Jay D. from NM in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 12:43 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Since corporate growth is good for the economy and good for jobs, why not tax corporations at the federal level by shifting away from direct taxation of the corporation toward taxing at the standard rate--ideally more like those before the Reagan era--those dollars that go into any individual's pocket, whether owner, CEO, employee, or shareholder.

Submitted by No in Taxes & Budget Dec. 18, 2014, 12:35 p.m.

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#2000

41 votes

Economic security, a ubiqitous message that allows progressives to tailor their message on jobs, SS, WS, nation and energy security.

Submitted by Randy K R. from NV in Economy & Jobs Nov. 8, 2014, 9:44 p.m.

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#2017

40 votes

If gop wants keystone for job creation, why not piggy back a jobs bill as a whole, for the entire U.S. Reconstruction!

Submitted by al Chazin in Economy & Jobs Dec. 30, 2014, 10:51 a.m.

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#2017

40 votes

Replace all individual and corporate income taxes with a small national sales tax and progressive taxes on corporate sales and excess accumulated individual and corporate wealth. This will enable a vast expansion of the social safety net, the cancelling student debt and the doubling of Social Security. Details are available in Common Sense, my free book, downloadable at: www.Our-Nation.com..

Submitted by Bob Zimmerman in Taxes & Budget Dec. 18, 2014, 10 a.m.

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#2017

40 votes

Increase regulation and oversight on "core" categories of business that relate to basic human existence. Energy is one of these. Certain categories require greater transparency and accountability or "abuse" just becomes a seemingly acceptable part of the business pursuit.

Submitted by L.McDonald in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 12, 2014, 5 a.m.

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#2017

40 votes

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