The Big Ideas Project

We need to professionalize our police forces. Just like other professions, the people to whom we give guns and ask to serve and protect our communities need national standards of practice, ethics training, and continuing education requirements to maintain their license. If poorly paid social workers can pay for these things, so can the police.

Submitted by Laurie A. from OH in Society & Community Dec. 29, 2014, 5:25 p.m.

Tweet Share

#301

755 votes

Make corporate Board of Directors and top executives personally liable to pay damages to the public, out of their own personal fortunes, for crimes or torts. Especially since corpoations are "persons", They should be held personally liable for their actions

Submitted by yes in Civil Rights Dec. 11, 2014, 10:11 a.m.

Tweet Share

#302

752 votes

Merged Idea

Create a national aqueduct system that can prevent flooding in one area and alleviate drought in another.

Submitted by Stuart G. from CA in Environment Nov. 11, 2014, 6:02 p.m.

Tweet Share

#303

751 votes

Merged Idea

Make public colleges free for everyone living in the U.S. Research shows that this is actually a more affordable option for the government to undertake. Scrap residency requirement, so that a person from out of state doesn't pay tuition as well. Tuition is fueling inequality in this country, where rich people have more opportunity than the rest.

Submitted by Elena R. from WA in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 2:28 p.m.

Tweet Share

#304

744 votes

28th Amendment: and Term Limits "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States".

Submitted by Jim M. from KY in Government & Elections Jan. 4, 2015, 5:10 p.m.

Tweet Share

#305

743 votes

Eliminate gerrymandering entirely. Each state gets two senators--one from each party. Each district (divided equally by the number in each party)--gets two representatives, one from each party. Go entirely away from the electoral college and count every vote.

Submitted by OKIE in Civil Rights Jan. 4, 2015, 7:23 p.m.

Tweet Share

#306

742 votes

My proposal for a law to save the USPS. Part One:Take out the poison pill of funding pensions for people not yet born. Part Two: Expand what the post office can do, like offer LTE Internet and Satellite television Services for the public at low prices. After all, the Post Office is the only branch of government enumerated specifically to inform the population (through newspaper/magazine distribution to every town in america, no matter population size). USPS Digital Modernization ACT

Submitted by jimzello in Infrastructure & Technology Jan. 4, 2015, 4:39 p.m.

Tweet Share

#306

742 votes

Protect whistle blowers in government service from retaliation for reporting fraud, waste and abuse in the operation of administrative agencies. Enforcing transparency in government will save tax-payer funds and reinforce our credibility here and throughout the world.

Submitted by Martha B. from FL in Government & Elections Dec. 11, 2014, 4:23 a.m.

Tweet Share

#306

742 votes

Assess fines to companies that make unsolicited calls/offers to persons on the National Do Not Call Registry. Assess heavy fines when the caller does not display a phone number or allow a call back to occur.

Submitted by Bill Korbel in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 30, 2014, 3:36 p.m.

Tweet Share

#309

730 votes

Merged Idea

Not new, but just saying = Infrastructure bank, Restore old New Deal policies and programs, such as CCC, WPA, NRPB. In fact adopt ALL of goals set forth in FDR's 1944 State of the Union (Economic Bill of Rights) address and add new goals re female empowerment, environmental preservation and re-enhancement (unaddressed by original address as non-issues at the time.)

Submitted by James Friedlander in Economy & Jobs Nov. 9, 2014, 9:28 a.m.

Tweet Share

#309

730 votes

Require all ships carrying oil or dangerous cargo to have on board sufficient equipment to mitigate a spill in whatever volume of cargo they carry. When - not if - an accident occurs, the time saved in having the safety equipment onsite could save a lot of wildlife and keep the environment from being damaged.

Submitted by Molson in Environment Dec. 9, 2014, 9:38 p.m.

Tweet Share

#311

727 votes

Make all Elected Officials live by the same rules & laws as the rest of us. That includes paying into Social Security & Medicare, and paying for their own healthcare & retirement. No more Cadillac pension plans & free healthcare paid for by the American Public, which I am sure is a HUGE item in the budget, and probably bigger than all "welfare" put together. Additionally, "public servants" should be paid the same minimum wage they impose on Americans.

Submitted by Sabine Jordan from CA in Government & Elections Dec. 10, 2014, 8:38 p.m.

Tweet Share

#312

724 votes

create a fiber network that is publicly owned that allows free access to all citizens and encourages competition.

Submitted by roxey l. from MI in Infrastructure & Technology Dec. 10, 2014, 4:22 p.m.

Tweet Share

#313

723 votes

Raise the cap on income subject to social security

Submitted by Joyce p. from NY in Taxes & Budget Dec. 18, 2014, 8:34 p.m.

Tweet Share

#314

720 votes

Cut the Pentagon budget in half. End our military adventurism in the Middle East and other parts of the globe. Reduce our support of Israel if Netenyahu doesn't agree to end apartheid, and treat Palestinians like human beings.

Submitted by Harry A. from CT in Foreign Policy & Military Nov. 14, 2014, 7:58 p.m.

Tweet Share

#314

720 votes

Require all manufacturers selling products in the United States to be responsible for the product once it reaches the end of its life. Instead of throwing the item away, you would give it back to the manufacturer for them to reuse, repurpose or recycle.

Submitted by Jared in Environment Dec. 31, 2014, 11:55 a.m.

Tweet Share

#314

720 votes

Inact laws and prosecute secretaries of state who falsify voting records, promote or approve voter registration suppression, as well as state legislators who promote laws restricting voter registration.

Submitted by Walt in Civil Rights Dec. 10, 2014, 3:02 p.m.

Tweet Share

#317

717 votes

Restore the powers of the FDA and EPA and give them the funding they need to enforce safety and consumer protection laws. We need to go back to the idea of working together, as a country, and counteract this "ideal" of individualism and "every man for himself. The United States is most powerful when we act as such.

Submitted by Merci D. from WI in Health Nov. 16, 2014, 9:03 p.m.

Tweet Share

#317

717 votes

Federal guidelines and laws to protect our environment from exploitation. Allowing local agencies, usually a few influential greedy locals in concert with big money, to make decisions such as frac sand mining is unethical and dangerous.

Submitted by Mary Jane M. from MN in Education Nov. 7, 2014, 10:11 a.m.

Tweet Share

#319

715 votes

In the spirit of FDR, create a 50 state green initiative. State by state find the worst, or one of the worst, environmentally harmful actions currently happening and find a way to transform it into something more helpful for the environment. Or at least invest in 50 states for environmentally conscious programs and build environmentally helpful buildings and infrastructure. It could range from public transportation to farming to anything. This could also be a terrific jobs program.

Submitted by PJM in Environment Jan. 15, 2015, 2:54 a.m.

Tweet Share

#320

713 votes

Who’s voting?

Thanks for voting on your favorite ideas!