The Big Ideas Project

Bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S.A. Families need liveable wage jobs to be able to provide for themselves.

Submitted by Social work services in Economy & Jobs Dec. 18, 2014, 9:59 p.m.

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#1189

126 votes

Stop the practice - both public and private - of giving wage increases in PERCENTAGES, rather than giving the same DOLLARS to each employee. PERCENTAGES give the BIGGEST INCREASE to those who ALREADY HAVE the HIGHEST wage!! This practice has expanded the gap between rich and poor - COMPOUNDED FOR DECADES!!! The cost of goods and services rises the same number of dollars for all, whether gas, eggs, energy, rent, utilities, or other routine expenditures.

Submitted by Don't Quit!! in Economy & Jobs Dec. 26, 2014, 4:56 p.m.

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#1197

125 votes

Stop letting corporations send jobs overseas, without industry and a strong labor force our country will never be great again.

Submitted by joey in Economy & Jobs Dec. 10, 2014, 6:07 p.m.

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#1202

124 votes

Instead of placing revenues (taxes and fees) on deposit in Wall Street banks (and then borrowing money back at interest), State and County/City Treasurers should simply create their own banks and place the money there. The low cost credit can be used to fund infrastructure projects, which is EXACTLY what the Bank of North Dakota does.

Submitted by Commonomics in Economy & Jobs Dec. 11, 2014, 7:10 a.m.

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#1202

124 votes

Pass a bill that would start infrastructure rebuilding too be paid for by closing tax loopholes for corporations

Submitted by Robert M. from MD in Economy & Jobs Dec. 10, 2014, 5:59 p.m.

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#1211

123 votes

The US must join every country on earth in mandating a national standard for paid holiday, vacation and sick leave that totals at least 25 days. No exclusions for part-time employment that would incentivize employers to cut worker hours, or for temporary/contingent workers. Benefits include increased worker productivity, health indicators, family and community life, decreased transmission of illness in the workplace and expanded employment for unemployed/underemployed workers.

Submitted by Howard in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 1:07 a.m.

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#1211

123 votes

Revise tax and accounting laws to reward long term capital investment, so that CEO and executive compensation isn't so heavily based on quarterly stock prices. Removing the focus on short term profits will reduce the negative view that employee costs have on the overall strength of the company, and promote hiring and retention of employees.

Submitted by Kingfish52 in Economy & Jobs Dec. 10, 2014, 12:51 p.m.

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#1220

121 votes

Make it illegal for potential employers to check out a person's credit score. They could be perfectly suited for the job and shouldn't be discriminated against based on a number, particularly when the 2008 crash led to many financial problems in the poor and middle class. Better still, once employed, these individuals can take that income and rebuild their score/pay off their debts.

Submitted by firenice in Economy & Jobs Dec. 11, 2014, 10:39 a.m.

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#1220

121 votes

banks should be regulated as they were in the 1980s if they accept FDIC insurance. If the taxpayers are underwriting their activities, the taxpayers get a say in how they are run.

Submitted by squirrelbird in Economy & Jobs Dec. 11, 2014, 11:52 p.m.

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#1228

120 votes

eliminate the 5 year qualifying rule to be vested in a pension and allow any pension benefit earned for every hour worked to be portable. place a cap on pension management fees.

Submitted by roxey l. from MI in Economy & Jobs Dec. 10, 2014, 4:31 p.m.

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#1228

120 votes

Revise trade agreements with other nations to include: -fair pay on a regular schedule, -medical services, -potable water, sanitary bathrooms, break periods, sick leave and vacation, -work environment free of toxic substances, -no child labor, -no prison-like, unsanitary labor camps, -penalties for human rights violations. If these conditions were NOT allowed, production of goods in other countries wouldn't be financially feasible, and “Made in the USA” would be more common!

Submitted by katm in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 1:12 a.m.

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#1245

118 votes

Sentence criminal Wall St Bankers etc to Work Release Programs. Let those who are supposedly too-big-to-jail go to work during the day, and then lock them up at night -- just like we do with other criminals. Given them felony records and let them deal with that too. Also, take away their right (and their company’s right) to donate money to campaigns & issue advocacy groups for twenty years.

Submitted by Dan C. from MN in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 11:14 a.m.

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#1257

117 votes

We need a public option. Not only for health insurance but for any kind of insurance for individual natural persons. Most of all, we need a public option for basic banking services.

Submitted by Gedanken in Economy & Jobs Dec. 12, 2014, 7:05 p.m.

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#1257

117 votes

Corporate leadership should not be compensated anymore than 25 times the lowest paid person in the corporation regardless if the employee works here or abroad.

Submitted by bruce s. from IN in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 12:24 p.m.

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#1269

115 votes

Urban property that has been 1) condemned or 2) abandoned/unoccupied for more than three years must be auctioned to the public. Regulations must PREVENT 1) inside deals by realtors & developers, 2) developers & hedge funds from buying up everything at cheap prices & then controlling properties & manipulating markets to drive up prices, & 3) zoning boards from limiting divisions into smaller lots & blocking construction of smaller homes needed for affordable single family housing.

Submitted by Timothy Salt in Economy & Jobs Jan. 9, 2015, 11:21 a.m.

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#1275

114 votes

Get rid of all tax breaks for outsourcing American Jobs,and tax breaks that reward firing Americans for any reason. Do the same for insourcing, no rewarding bringing in foreign workers that will take jobs from Americans and drive down wages for the rest. Then eliminate all Import Subsidies. Call it the Stop Rewarding Outsourcing Act.

Submitted by Don B. from CA in Economy & Jobs Dec. 20, 2014, 4:22 a.m.

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#1277

113 votes

In an effort to stop the offshoring of jobs, place tariffs and VATs on imports from nations like China, et.al., that exploit their human resources with low wages ($1.36/hr., some work for 30 cents/hr.), manipulate their currency, subsidize their exports, a term used to describe the practice of selling a product cheaper than it cost to produce it. Free Trade with Canada, Europe, Japan, etc.? YES! But Free Trade with China, and other Pacific Rim nations? Absolutely not!

Submitted by Kerry H. from PA in Economy & Jobs Dec. 10, 2014, 6:55 p.m.

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#1283

112 votes

Worker-owned cooperatives like in Northern Spain.

Submitted by Jo T. from PA in Economy & Jobs Nov. 17, 2014, 7:10 p.m.

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#1298

110 votes

In 1913 the Federal Reserve, which is a privtely owned agency, created by the Rothschilds (Bank of America), Rockefellers (Citibank) and Morgans (Chase). This agency controls the deflaltion and inflation of our dollar. From 1913 to 2000 the dollar has fallen in value by 85%. Let us support and encourage an investigation as to why this privately owned company controls the Nations dollar value.

Submitted by no in Economy & Jobs Dec. 19, 2014, 1:29 p.m.

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#1298

110 votes

Create and expand programs to encourage and support local entrepreneurship. Neighborhoods and communities should be anchored by and centered around businesses owned by locals, employing locals, sourced by locals. End wage slavery and replace it with ownership!

Submitted by Darkmoon of Ikaros in Economy & Jobs Dec. 10, 2014, 4:12 a.m.

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#1308

109 votes

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