The Big Ideas Project

Redirect fossil fuel subsidies to support the goals of individuals, communities and states to create renewable, regional power: grants, tax rebates, use of federal labor to build the new systems, education credits for those who train to build and maintain the new energy system. Wean the country off the current large-grid system.

Submitted by Bramble in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 9, 2014, 8:24 a.m.

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#516

393 votes

Authorize rural electrical coops to install and manage high speed internet systems in their service areas. The current monopoly holders will never wire the rural areas.

Submitted by dennismcguire in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 3:43 p.m.

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#520

391 votes

If government grants are used for research and something great is found out and is the basis for a product, no private company or individual should have exclusive patent rights over it....the patent should belong to the people and the government should get a cut of profits for any product sales.

Submitted by Sanda Oslin in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 2:53 p.m.

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#531

382 votes

Protect access to and the use of the Internet. Classify it under Title II as a telecommunication utility and expand fiber optic infrastructure throughout our Nation as we did historically with the Rural Electrification Program.

Submitted by BtheBiggerPerson in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 15, 2015, 12:44 p.m.

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#531

382 votes

Improve our railroad system to the best. Save big time on diesel fuel.

Submitted by William Huddle in Infrastructure & Technology Nov. 17, 2014, 9:29 a.m.

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#538

373 votes

End the recurring fight over public broadcast funding by creating a public broadcast fund pooled from a percentage of broadcast/wireless spectrum auction revenues.

Submitted by Matthew B. from MN in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 1, 2015, 8:02 p.m. 1

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#542

369 votes

A national sewage-to-fuel initiative with concentrated effort on the level of the Apollo, Manhattan, and Interstate Highway System projects would put millions of Americans back to work with good paying jobs that would benefit many generations to come. Algae made from sewage has already been tested by the department of defense and Virgin Airlines and proven to be superior to fossil derived fuels for aircraft. Similar fuels are ready for trains, trucks, ships and generators

Submitted by Mitchell Heldt in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 5, 2015, 5:40 p.m.

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#571

343 votes

Reinvigorate and recharge the national investment in science to expand basic research, promote applied research for a healthier society, create high-value high-wage jobs for citizens, and to super-charge the national commitment to education, learning, and thinking. Dramatically expanding the national science enterprise can be a vitally important cog in creating a more educated populace, producing innovations to improve the lives of all citizens, and giving value to exploration.

Submitted by Paul in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 1:33 p.m.

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#586

329 votes

Only the IRS and the taxpayer should have access to social security numbers. Banks should be prohibited from knowing it. Each time a person takes a job with a company, they can a payer ID for the employee used for taxes. The IRS will use this code, and knows the actual SSN. This will reduce identity theft risk.

Submitted by Daniel S. from CA in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 12, 2015, 3:46 p.m.

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#610

313 votes

Create a loan guarantee program for banks and credit unions to give loans to homeowners and small businesses that want to install solar panels to generate hot water or electricity. Then we just have to meet basic standards for cost and quality, and we can get low-cost loans to install solar instead of paying the utility companies for all our energy.

Submitted by Steve in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 29, 2014, 8:01 p.m.

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#674

271 votes

Convert the U.S. Postal Service into a government run internet service provider. Give everyone access to free basic internet services(email, internet connection) and offer paid for additional services(faster speeds, more email storage capacity). The revenue could more than pay for the snail mail portion of the service.

Submitted by Drew B in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 4, 2015, 10:46 a.m.

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#680

265 votes

We need to pass a bill that eliminates nearly all landfills. We need robust recycling of all materials. Plus we need Combined Heat and Power incinerators with state of the art pollution control devices to burn garbage as fuel for heat and power for residences or businesses or public buildings. Norway does this in the cities of Bergen and Oslo with great success and minimal pollution. Sweden gets 10% of its power from CHP plants. Landfills must be outlawed except for certain items.

Submitted by Rex_in_Minnesota in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 4:42 p.m.

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#774

221 votes

Wire up America with fiber. I am still on dialup but I still pay the universal service charge which I thought was for bringing fiber to rural areas of the US.

Submitted by Stephen H. Juhlin in Infrastructure & Technology Nov. 22, 2014, 8:23 a.m.

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#816

207 votes

Help low income recipients of utility assistance to go solar and after the original installation they would no longer need assistance. Start with just doing this for low income homeowners. Then when you are building or renovating public housing you add solar. Also if you make the systems larger then they need they can sell energy back the public utilities. This would also creat the need for many jobs in the green energy field.

Submitted by Florence Baranek in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 4, 2015, 4:24 p.m.

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#816

207 votes

The Steel Interstate System is a national network of high-capacity, grade-separated, electrified railroad mainlines for the 21st Century. Many more trains of all kinds could be accommodated and they could move much faster, by upgrading a core of existing railroads to equal what the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System achieved for roads. This would provide truck-competitive speeds for freight, auto-competitive speeds for passengers, and plane-competitive travel on a regional level.

Submitted by TrainsR US in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 8, 2015, 1:51 p.m. 1

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#826

204 votes

Electric Vehicles + Solar + Wind During WW2 we retooled the major car companies to help fight and win the war. The same needs to be done now with the war on climate change. This is Cash for Clunkers Part 2 + Renewable Energy build out. Getting the major car companies to produce EVs and pairing with renewables will drastically decrease dependence on oil, reduce carbon output, increase green jobs, lower air pollution, increase public health, and slow down the rate of climate change.

Submitted by Brenton J. from GA in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 26, 2014, 12:58 p.m.

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#844

198 votes

We need to shore up our nations electrical grid. For the money we spend on a U-2 bomber we need to shunt ground our power grid. ASAP

Submitted by Randy B. from WI in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 3, 2015, 10:10 p.m.

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#876

188 votes

Take back the airwaves. The airwaves were built on taxpayer money and it has been the biggest give away since the railroads. When we switched from analog to digital the agreement was for the analog stations to be used by the government for emergency stations and for government use. The government subsidized the switch,after all. Well, the media decided not to turn over the analog stations and the government has allowed this give away to continue. Stations pay no fees and are just a money making

Submitted by Shalee in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 18, 2014, 4:10 p.m.

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#937

174 votes

Rapidly phase out all nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is recklessly dangerous, and there is no way to store the waste safely for hundreds of thousands of years. Nuclear power would NOT survive in a "free market," but persists only because governments make taxpayers subsidize it and leave victims without recourse in case of accidents.

Submitted by Glen in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 6:46 p.m.

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#944

173 votes

10 year plan to end US dependency on any fossil fuels, foreign or domestic, with the intent to switch to renewable sources of power.

Submitted by lexout in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 3 p.m.

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#944

173 votes

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