The Big Ideas Project

Halt drone assassinations. Stop confusing honor killings with political acts and branding them as terrorism. The rules where there are no rules 'in tribal areas' are: hospitality, honor and revenge. Revenge in the (tribal) periphery equates with law enforcement. Anthropologists understand this, our press does not. The book, the Thistle and the Drone explains it. Without understanding this soon Americans won't be able to safely travel.

Submitted by David Bean in Foreign Policy & Military Jan. 16, 2015, 12:52 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

"Lotterize" the federal income tax to put some fun into paying your taxes. Say you owe $3000 in taxes. Give people the option of paying the $3000 OR buying the National Tax Lottery Tickets at a slightly higher amount. (Actuaries could figure out the premium. bit rough example: instead of $3000 you owe, you could pay $3500 for 'lottery tickets' and a chance to win up to a $billion payout if enough folks enter.) Details forthcoming on my blog!

Submitted by James T. in Taxes & Budget Jan. 8, 2015, 4 p.m.

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#2507

4 votes

Do not allow the use of 'drones' domestically. And forbid their production or export here. We don't want our skies and neighborhoods flooded with drone. We don't want their effects on birds; & beauty of sky; we do not want to RISK using them. Who know what they might be used to carry. Too risky.

Submitted by Dr. Frank Braio in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 16, 2015, 8:11 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

Voting should be mandatory, you should only be able to opt out by physically going to the polling facility and voting to opt out of that particular election. Voting should be done in person on paper ballots with a representative from each party stationed at each voting station. Ballots would be counted there in front of everyone before leaving the building and posted in the media. This would make it impossible to fake election results. This system works well in Australia.

Submitted by Johnny in Government & Elections Jan. 15, 2015, 11 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

One big RE-Election ASAP because of the outrageous amounts of dark money that bought the last one. Candidates will only be allowed a set number of television/radio/newspaper advertisements and a set number of mailers & street signs. They will be required to participate in multiple live aired debates. Voting machines will be prohibited; paper ballots only. Voting will be mandatory with fine imposed on those who don't. Election day will be a national holiday so everyone can make it to the polls.

Submitted by Nic.E in Government & Elections Jan. 16, 2015, 12:18 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

State and local government incentives to business corporations are bankrupting states and local governments and their ability to service the needs of students, infrastructure, and the social safety net. Make state and local give-aways to corporations illegal under federal law.

Submitted by Dwight R. from WA in Economy & Jobs Jan. 16, 2015, 6:51 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

Pass an amendment to the constitution that citizens are the sole managers of their bodies, property, and residences. That no government or private entity can infringe upon that right, unless the citizen is causing harm to another. Thus we will have the right to die, to have sex however we want, to refuse a draft, to take any drug we need, to grow any type of drug W/O taxation, and more. Imagine a world where drugs cost pennies w/o legal issues. It was pre-WW1 and a golden era in history.

Submitted by StevenJTaylor in Society & Community Jan. 16, 2015, 8:54 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

G government assistance programs (such as a free phone, utility assistance, etc), while giving them a chance at a real home to call their own, even if it is temporary.uiding the people throughS, ee the abandoned properties the banks are sitting on? Make an abandoned home available to the homeless, even if just for a few months while the foreclosure process takes place. Establish a charity organization that regulates this kind of assistance by providing health and welfare checks

Submitted by kat b. from WA in Society & Community Jan. 15, 2015, 12:40 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

A paradigm shift in where (and how) we source our carbon based, liquid fuels. - Historically, we went below earth's surface to find it and deplete the nonrenewable resource - We propose that we source it from abundant atmospheric resources, above the earth's surface. This paradigm shift would replace carbon sourced from the carbon cycle that cycled during the dinosaur era with distributively sourced carbon from the current carbon cycle. Based on our research data, we can produce unprece

Submitted by LeRoy Deichman in Economy & Jobs Jan. 15, 2015, 8:38 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

Instead of having a green card stapled to every foreign-born STEM graduate's diploma, we need a LETTER OF HIRE stapled to EVERY AMERICAN'S STEM graduate diploma. We need to scale back the H1-B and other guest worker programs until salaries are and job opportunities are stabilized for AMERICANS.

Submitted by RGHicks in Economy & Jobs Jan. 15, 2015, 12:09 p.m.

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#2507

4 votes

A constitutional amendment to change our two party system to a parliamentary system where greater amount of the populace are represented. Instead of only the Richest people having & corporations having a voice. This would bring more people in to the activities of the Government, stronger turn out at the voting poles, and better choice as to where our monies are spent. Like less military, more Education, and Environmental concerns. Break away from fossil fuels, Green Power Grids, etc....

Submitted by nmtroberts in Government & Elections Jan. 16, 2015, 9:55 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

This is long term - but should we be thinking now about how to create a "post-jobs" world? One can imagine a time not too far away when automation will do most tasks handled by humans today. We're all so used to money and jobs that it's difficult to imagine anything else. The traditional response to this possibility is: "we'll just create new technologies, new products, and the game will go on as before". I'm not so sure.

Submitted by Bill Knight in Economy & Jobs Jan. 16, 2015, 12:30 a.m.

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#2507

4 votes

Tax breaks to corporations that create jobs for U.S. citizens at home in the U.S.

Submitted by MikeHT in Economy & Jobs Jan. 16, 2015, 12:07 a.m.

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#2534

3 votes

Our fiat currency is controlled by overseas interests. We need to create a metal based money that's controlled here in the US.

Submitted by lostarts in Economy & Jobs Jan. 15, 2015, 5:07 p.m.

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#2534

3 votes

Pressure the CDC to re-examine previous decisions when new medical evidence contradicts their decision making process. Case in point: the existence of chronic Lyme Disease as a separate disease state from acute Lyme Disease.

Submitted by Andrew T. from IL in Health Jan. 16, 2015, 2:33 a.m.

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#2534

3 votes

Create a national sales tax of 23% and eliminate income tax. If you don't want to pay tax, don't buy anything. Simple, is better in regard to taxes, no forms, no exemptions, no loopholes.

Submitted by tagi in Taxes & Budget Jan. 14, 2015, 5:28 p.m.

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#2534

3 votes

Open in every state S.O.S; center to give protection & food, health care, sleeping rooms, and job search helps...

Submitted by Djigivara in Society & Community Jan. 16, 2015, 2:44 a.m.

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#2534

3 votes

If corporations have any privileges of persons, they may not be amoral. Amoral corporations are monsters, not persons.

Submitted by Phillip N. from OR in Government & Elections Jan. 16, 2015, 12:20 a.m.

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#2534

3 votes

Education should be reoriented toward helping students identify and nurture their talents and passions.

Submitted by Spencer in Education Jan. 16, 2015, 8 a.m.

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#2534

3 votes

education is out of date and over rated , most of our schooling has nothing to do with the real world of today and most anything of desire to be learned can be learned on line , demand of tax dollars for education that is of nothing of the future and training for jobs skills that there are no jobs for is a waste of tax dollars , on the job training is of more common sense

Submitted by scott Eagle in Education Jan. 15, 2015, 2:37 p.m.

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#2534

3 votes

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