Real Estate Problem
Submitted by Mark
The government should start a guarantee program to shore up bad mortgages. The debt needs to be renegotiated at a lower rate adjusting every two to three years to come back to market. This would allow people who are serious about staying in their homes a chance to do so. But it's not for free; to assure people that aren't in trouble that their neighbor's not getting a free ride, the government should take an equity position in the property as the price for participation by the owner in the program. Now that all the mortgages are being guaranteed by the government, there is no more bad paper; bank's balance sheets are restored, all the securitized mortgages are good, collateralized debt ob's and derivatives are good.
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Alternative Stimulus Package
Submitted by Alan
Another stimulus package would only be a very costly band aid. Instead, funds should be allocated to combat what I believe will be the next huge waive of consumer defaults, credit card debt. Similar to the mortgage crisis but much more prevalent, consumers are over-extended. Don’t forgive the debts, just re-negotiate the interest rates to single digit levels so that consumers can make progress in reducing their debt service and begin to save/invest money again.
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Economic Justice
Submitted by Alan
Tax dollars will be used to pay subsidies to companies that were willfully mismanaged by executives with exorbitant salary and benefit packages. These people are guilty of fraud, coercion and probably a host of other securities violations. They, like any other felon/criminal, should be subject to rule of offset-type penalties whereby they are not entitled to benefit financially from criminal acts. Seize and liquidate their assets then apply the proceeds against the (principal) amount of the bail-out debt. Perhaps this will set an example for aspiring mega- executives.
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Helping the Economy
Submitted by Stephanie
Take all the companies and institutions that are going to be "saved" monetarily by the taxpayer and require them to pay back in such a way that our lives will be impacted positively. Instead of bonus programs, and huge compensation programs, take the "extragavent monies" and "fund and feed" the Food Banks, and "fund and build the Habitats for Humanity." Give until it hurts, just like AIG, Lehman Brothers, Countrywide, Bears Sterns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and others “took until it was destroyed.”
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Stimulate the Economy
Submitted by Gordon
To stimulate economy, double Social Security benefits to those making less than $250,000. To pay for this, eliminate the socialized banks' bail outs, and tax campaign contributions and inheritances of over $1 Million at 39%. Provide federal single payer health care for all those making less than $250,000 per year and pay off national debt by taxing stock market trades at 1/2 broker's commission. Pass laws or somehow limit corporate executives' compensation to no more than 10 times the salary of the lowest paid employee. Eliminate corporate welfare and subsidies to those shipping jobs overseas.
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Health Insurance
Submitted by Sheryl
Everyone would have health care insurance if it were run by the government. Why can't everyone pay in a monthly, but highly affordable, monthly premium in the form of a health care tax? This would also regulate the healthcare industry and cut out the grossly ridiculous amounts that doctors and bogus insurance companies charge. I wouldn't mind paying taxes for something I know is going to protect myself and family.
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Natural Gas Benefits
Submitted by William
I feel the US Government should make it a national effort to promote or even mandate Natural Gas for commercial vehicles such as heavy trucks in both government and commercial fleets, the key being replacing diesel fuel for natural gas. Rather than focusing on the personal vehicles which would mean fitting thousands of gasoline stations with CNG or LNG filling pumps the government should focus on fitting centralized fleet maintenance facilities and commercial truck stops with these pumps. Replacing diesel for natural gas would have the following advantages: Reduced dependence on Mid-East and Venezuela for our oil; Domestic natural Gas means US jobs and the money stays here in the US; Reduced air pollution as natural gas burns much cleaner than diesel.
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Mortgage Solutions
Submitted by Martin
Instead of giving away up to $700 Billion to Wall Street, why not SUPPLEMENT for a year or two just the sub-prime mortgagees (the homeowners) who are having difficulty making their house payments? Don’t supplement every sub-prime mortgage, just keep taxpayers in their homes who would otherwise be foreclosed on. When the economy turns around the sub-prime mortgagee will be able to sell his home and buy a less expensive more affordable home, which will further stimulate a growing economy. Put the money in the hands of the people, not the multi-millionaires who caused this mess!
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Economy
Submitted by Adrian
First, credit must be tightened; and second, industrial infrastructure must be grown. Our economic priority has been to grow wealth, on paper, while concurrently liquidating our American industrial infrastructure. In reality, every dollar of wealth earned comes from someone’s sweat and accumulation of physical assets (not paper). We cannot grow wealth without concurrently growing physical infrastructure. Our economy must be structured from the bottom up, not the top down. A service economy cannot stand alone; it must be supported by a solid industrial base. Emphasis needs to be on living wage jobs, not credit.
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Alternate Minimum Tax
Submitted by Steven
The Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) was initially created in the 1960's to capture some 159 of the wealthiest Americans who were escaping their fair share of taxes. Not indexed to inflation, thus it keeps snagging more and more (now millions) of Americans as their incomes are inflated upward. Possible Forever Fix: Currently, US reports annually revised figures for the Poverty Level. Congress would debate, compromise, identify and freeze whatever fixed multiple over the Poverty Level would identify one as wealthy. Then the tax would function like this: if Poverty Level is defined as $10,000 and the multiple is determined to be 40, then anyone with income of $400,000 or more would be captured by the AMT. The factor used here was an example. Once this is accomplished, the ratio of Poverty Level to wealth would be fixed and would vary as Poverty Level changes.
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Simplify Tax Code
Submitted by Chris
If the tax codes could be updated and we get away from penalizing hard working Americans through the out dated income tax codes we could save money on both ends and actually eliminate the need for one of the largest unnecessary departments in the federal government, the IRS. The mechanism to achieve this not to far goal is a Flat Usage Tax Code were everyone pays the same tax when you buy, spend or pay for anything of tangible value. In other words a federal sales tax would be the most far and equal tax collection systems. No matter how little or how much money you spend everyone would pay the same percentage. This is the only way out of the situation that we are finding ourselves in during this beginning to be the worst of all times of economic disaster.
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Government Spending
Submitted by Cleve
There needs to be a reduction in frivolous government spending and an end to spending money on program duplications. I believe a good deal of tax revenues could be generated if we allow a one-time Federal Tax amnesty for individuals and businesses for previous years taxes are not filed and paid. Of course, any individual or business currently being audited or set up by the IRS to be audited for previous years, would not be subject to this forgiveness.
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Use of Hydrogen
Submitted by Mike
Most people don’t realize that we have all around us an unlimited, fully recyclable, completely non-polluting, environmentally friendly, and completely inexhaustible supply of energy which we need only the will and vision to exploit. Everything which moves the people and goods on the surface of our world, cars, trucks, and trains, can be fueled with hydrogen; and this alone would ultimately reduce a large part of our pollution problems because unlike the polluting and greenhouse gas producing exhaust from burning various kinds of petroleum based hydrocarbon fuels; the only exhaust from hydrogen fueled engines of all kinds will be water. This could be the cornerstone of our national security, and completely revolutionize our way of life by freeing us from dependence on energy sources controlled by unstable and hostile foreign governments.
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Petroleum Standards
Submitted by Rick
I heard a recent presentation where it is claimed that Congressional removal of restrictions on commodities trading has lead to over 60% of petroleum barrels are being bought and sold by commodities speculators, often traded several times presumably at repeated profit, before actually being delivered. Petroleum is a strategic commodity both militarily and for the domestic economy and should not be left in the hands of ruthless traders. Congress should legislate against open speculation on petroleum by prohibiting its open trading as a commodity. We also need to open currently banned areas in US territory for petroleum production with adherence to strict standards. Recognizing that more oil supply doesn't improve availability of usable products like gasoline without refinery capacity, oil companies should be forced to expand functional refinery capacity with their record profits. I believe these efforts are a much more productive use of Congressional time than considering 'suing' foreign oil producing countries.
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Wind Energy
Submitted by Anonymous
We need to use the jet stream flowing from the Pacific to make windmills a viable solution for power generation. Since eight five percent of Nevada is owned by the Federal government, is currently uninhabited, and rarely visited, it would be a good choice for building a combination of windmills and solar systems. Build the windmill, solar and distribution systems with steel recycled from decommissioned Navy ships currently dry-docked in the San Francisco bay area. Place a moratorium on new highways diverting federal gasoline taxes to finance the building. Redeploy construction crews that would have otherwise built the freeways to building the new energy system. Should there be no seismic activity in the region the Great Basin may also be a good location for one or more nuclear power plants since it is in close proximity to Yucca Mountain thus keeping transportation of nuclear waste from being trucked or railed through more densely inhabited areas.
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Using Costal Breezes for Energy
Submitted by Rick
Wind has been a major energy source in America's history and belongs there as part of our future. Many Americans have had the pleasure of experiencing an on-shore breeze from a large body of water. We have lots of coastal islands and peninsula's that have ready access to this almost perpetual movement of air. Particularly on the east coast, there is significant federal acreage at or near costal shoreline which would be good locations to establish wind farms.
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Solar Energy
Submitted by Rick
Many years ago I saw a solar 'engine' demonstrated at the Toronto Science Museum in Ontario, Canada. It used gas expansion caused by solar heating of a cylinder head to cause the engine to 'run'. I also remember as do many Americans seeing a tissue paper ignited into flame when exposed to sunlight through a magnifying lens. Coupling radiant intensification with a solar engine could become a means of environmentally friendly transportation either directly if linked to a mechanical drive train or indirectly if linked to a generator to feed electric drive motors. This could also be utilized as a stationary engine for electrical generation or for mechanical work
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Alternative Energy
Submitted by John
I am 54 years old, and when I was in Junior High School we did science experiments in class that turned water into hydrogen. We should produce and sell cars that burn hydrogen for fuel, and also a small machine that produces hydrogen from water in our home. The machine could run on solar/wind/geothermal/etc.
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Federal Deficit
Submitted by Anonymous
The federal government needs to stop sending billions of dollars to other countries to bail them out when we need the money here in an effort to decrease the federal deficit. The government is not being responsible to its citizens when money is spent aboard so freely
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Electric School Bus
Submitted by Frank
Companies should be working to build an electric school bus. This fits in very well with the limited mileage and speed range of electric vehicles, which is usually a drawback. They would be recharged at the school overnight and again during the day for the afternoon runs. There would be no gas to steal; and no air pollution, a relief to everyone who has ever sat behind an idling bus. This would be a good area for a government-sponsored contest for school bus design.
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Social Security Program
Submitted by Anonymous
The federal government should allow citizens to decline part of their Social Security in lieu of having the declined amount count as the tax on their IRA distributions. Citizens would therefore pay full tax on the distributions (no deductions). The tax would be paid with money the government owes the person. This would save the Social Security budget several billion dollars per month and make Social Security a viable on-going program. Both changes would allow seniors to use their money in large amounts which is much more effective and efficient than the same amount spread over several years. There would be a significant infusion of money into the economy. This money would come from citizens not the government.
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Working from Home
Submitted by Todd
I would propose increasing the tax benefits to employees that work from their home. I would further propose that tax incentives be given to employers to encourage them to transition workers to their homes. I believe that doing this could reduce the stress on our cities’ infrastructures, reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and decrease the percentage of taxpayers’ income that is going into their gas tank. With the increasing cost of fuel, Americans need to rethink our commuter lifestyle.
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Biofuels
Submitted by Tom
My idea is to support biofuels to help decrease our dependency on foreign oil. I heard of a small company that was making biofuels from algae. I think we should use this concept and use the algae in the Chesapeake Bay. Every summer in the bay, there is a dead zone full of algae blooms; we should then harvest or vacuum the algae found. This would help to clean up the bay, make new jobs, provide extra income for the state, lessen our reliance on oil, and also decrease our use of corn based biofuels. A second benefit to harvesting the algae is that it can be used as smoke stack scrubbers to help eliminate CO2 and other pollution from coal power plants.
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Public Transportation
Submitted by Karin
It seems obvious to me that a huge reduction in fuel and energy could and must be realized in our area by the use of a light rail system, similar to the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system on the West Coast Bay area. Today, we pour millions of dollars into never ending VDOT road projects that never change the basic problem of reducing traffic volume! I propose we install a light rail system that first serves the Naval Base. That alone would eliminate over half the commuter traffic on the worst congested routes and save millions in energy costs. Then, I would expand it to the Naval Shipyard and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, the areas' two largest employers. Right there, you would eliminate traffic congestion and fuel consumption during rush hour on the major Hampton Roads bridges and tunnels.
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Incentives for Solar Panels
Submitted by Dwight
The government should provide worthwhile incentives for consumers to install solar panels for heating water and for generating power. Currently the cost of installing a water heating system or photovoltaic generating system is cost prohibitive. The average consumer can not realistically consider installing a system because of the time involved to recover their costs. Our area of Virginia has enough year-around sunshine to make this worthwhile.
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CAFE Standards
Submitted by Anonymous
I think one change that needs to be made to the CAFE Standards, is to change the standards from vehicle type to a formula based on the empty gross weight (EGW) of the vehicle. Right now, cars have one standard and trucks have another. Because of this, automakers can get away with classifying the Subura Outback Wagon as a SUV, so that they can use the less restrictive light truck standards. By basing the standards on the EGW you would eliminate this loophole. The formula would require vehicles in the same weight class to get the same MPG regardless if it is classified as a truck or car.
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Reducing Fuel Consumption
Submitted by M.L.
I have a trip computer in my car that constantly calculates gas mileage. I go through two traffic stops a day to get to and from work and I can watch my vehicle mileage drop from averaging 29MPG on the highway to 25.6MPG with just two lights. That may only seem like 12%, in reality that is 12% of every vehicle that stops at these two lights each day. Solution: 1) Take the lead from the Dutch install rotary or overpasses where ever possible. 2) Require states to monitor there traffic lights and time them optimally so that someone doing the speed limit on a priority road can continue to move without a stop. 3) Install merging lanes for some right hand turns. These ideas keep traffic moving and increase fuel economy.
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Wind Energy
Submitted by Susan
How about building the windmills for energy? There have been many studies about using wind but Tidewater does not have any windmills. I know the plan that was to be near the barrier islands on the Eastern Shore was not developed because of the migratory birds but we need to do something to change the dependency on oil.
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Community Health Care Centers
Submitted by Katharine
We have a Community Health Center here in my town that is staffed by volunteers. On the days it is open, their schedules are full. For people without health care, this is a perfect solution. If all doctors and physician assistants would be willing to volunteer a few hours a month for a program such as this, nobody too poor to buy health insurance would be without medical care. The centers themselves would be paid for by local communities and by donations. This would be one effective low-cost solution for people unable to pay for any health care. Also, I believe if Congress would allow businesses to do a $3 deduction for every $1 of health care premium, more businesses would be able to afford employee health insurance. Giving individuals that same triple tax deduction for carrying health insurance would encourage everyone to have coverage. Instead of using age rated premiums, insurance companies could establish a national rating system where everyone would have the same premium regardless of age or the area in which they live.
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Energy
Submitted by Dennis
Maximize the utilization of all current and future discoveries of the fossil fuels we have available. With the continued new discoveries, such as the newest in North Dakota, who knows how many decades of oil/gas we actually have at our disposal. At the same time, build nuclear power plants as fast as we safely can. We are way behind even the French in that regard. It is clean, safe, and ultimately economical. Beyond that, we can certainly pursue alternatives such as hydrogen fuel cells, but even there, you must have a source of electricity to produce the hydrogen. Today that would essentially be fossil fuel. I am not sure why we don’t here that story from those advocating this technology as a solution around those same fossil fuels. The bottom line is, the free market will produce the alternatives when they become profitable enough to do so. Get government out of the way and let industry resolve the problem. We will have cheaper fuel sooner than anyone thinks if that were to occur.
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Solar Energy
Submitted by Dee
A show on the history channel this week concerning alternative energy said that this country could build a solar plant in the western part of our country that could supply the whole nation. It would be very large but could work. It showed a Fedex building that was running on solar power.
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Health Care
Submitted by Joe
We need to allow health insurance plans to be purchased across state lines. This will create natural competition among health insurance companies and drive prices down.
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