Ideas for Change: Better Transportation, Energy Future Town Halls

by Emily Gertz

Published December 03, 2008 @ 08:45AM PST

Over 1,600 ideas and 25,000 votes have been recorded at Ideas for Change, Change.org's project to gather up 10 great ideas for transforming America and present them to the Obama Administration.

In the Global Warming category, the top two ideas combine big-picture thinking with specific policy prescriptions:

Better Transportation to Curb Global Warming, submitted by David Cohn: "America needs high speed bullet trains that travel between major metropolitan cities. One attempt recently passed in Califonria to connect SF and LA with a bullet train that can get a person from one city to the next in three-four hours. With that kind of commuting time - Planes become silly. And planes are a HUGE C02 emmitter."

Hold Nationwide Town Hall Meeting on America's Energy Future, from Alex Tinker: "Americans have demonstrated we are ready to make the changes in our own lives that will be required to cut our carbon emissions in line with what science demands. What we need now is for politicians to make the policy changes that will empower citizens to make the bigger changes necessary.

"To ensure broad participation from people in every region, there could be one event per congressional district – roughly one event per 700,000 people. This will have the impact of showing every member of Congress – and the local and state politicians in every community as well – that Americans are ready to move beyond exploring the implications of the climate crisis and towards implementing solutions to it."

Under the other issue areas, here are just a few that have caught my interest:

Environmental Conservation: Show Environmental Leadership by Greening the Government: "At this critical time, when economic and environmental crises are converging, we at the Rainforest Alliance encourage the Obama administration to show the world that working together, responsible businesses and consumers can heal the planet. We need nothing less than a global green revolution. To ignite such change, the Obama administration must show leadership by greening its own business functions. We suggest this five-step plan..."

Agricultural Policy: No more corn subsidies, submitted by Thomas Harrier: "Instead of corn subsidies we should give windmill subsidies to all the farmers in the cornbelt of america. I don't think farmers need corn subsidies when they sell corn at 7$ a bushle [sic]. The windmills however would supply millions of Americans with cheap renewable energy."

Civic Engagement: National Holiday on Election Day: "Every four years Americans scramble to find the time to slip away from work or school or family responsibilities to go vote for a new president.  Too many of us must wait until work ends or clock out for the length of time needed thus losing wages.  With long lines and short election days, this has proven to be a strain on the electoral system and on the citizens but especially on single moms. Why not declare the first Tuesday of November every four years as a national (paid) holiday and close all schools and businesses for the day?"

Technology Policy: Limit Media Consolidation, added by Arthur Coddington: "We need more voices in the media. Establish policies that limit the number of radio/tv stations one company can own. Create incentives that give voice to perspectives we're not currently hearing in the mainstream media."

Criminal Justice: Provide Alternatives to Incarceration, added by our own criminal justice editor Matt Kelley: "One in 100 Americas is in prison or jail today. Our prison system has quadrupled in size in the last 30 years, due in large part to lengthy mandatory sentences for non-violent drug offenders. Meanwhile, we continue to have the highest demand for drugs of any country.

"The Obama Administration can take steps in its first 100 days to change the direction of the War on Drugs...instead of incarcerating people convicted of non-violent drug crimes, we can provide treatment and social services to help people rebuild their lives. The funds saved by shrinking our prison population and cutting international drug interventions can be better spent on housing, drug treatment and other services."

Check out the ideas, make your votes, and add ideas that haven't been explored, before the three finalists in each category are selected for the ultimate vote-down to the top 10.