With the advent of institutions such as Udacity and Coursera, it's quite clear that it's more than feasible to automatically vet job candidates for knowledge, without needing to take up a human being's time. This means that a university name and GPA, which are supposedly proxies for knowledge, no longer need to be taken into account, if candidates can simply be tested for that knowledge itself. And since candidates can simply be tested for knowledge itself, then that means that where a candidate went to school should have no bearing on whether or not he or she gets an interview. Therefore, discriminating on where someone obtained an education should be illegal just like discriminating based on skin color, religion, sexual orientation, etc. Simply test for the knowledge, rather than demanding a "top school". If the school is indeed a top school, then a graduate will have the knowledge necessary to pass a test of knowledge. By disallowing discrimination based upon degrees, and now requiring discrimination based on knowledge, it will no longer make higher education an inelastic necessity and will therefore make its costs plummet.

Secondly, tie education costs to career prospects after reception of a degree, and not beforehand. Similar to the way that in the publishing industry, a literary agent gets paid 15% of the proceeds of the author's royalties, so too should universities collect only in proportion to the prospects of a graduate after his or her graduation. My ballpark number is 8% of a post-tax income for 10 years following graduation for a BS degree, and 3% for a master's degree. The reason for this is that not all degrees or economic climates are created equal. If a university's education is not good enough to obtain a highly-paid job, then the graduate shouldn't have to be paying debts for the rest of his or her life. Similarly, should a candidate be ultra successful and make millions five years out of college, then the university will benefit immensely. In short, for those who know what these are, universities should be forced to buy call options on all of their students, with the cost of teaching and housing the student being the call option premium, and the future income of the student the payoff. This will tie university interests (money) with the interests (a fulfilling career) of its customers (the students). There will be no minimum on the amount that a graduate will be responsible for. If a graduate cannot find work despite successfully completing a university program, that says more about the university than it does about the student. This is especially true in our economic climate, when many people my age (I'm 25) cannot find work.

Both of these policies will make education far more affordable. The first will end the idea of the university degree stamp as mandatory if the knowledge can be obtained in other ways (such as through Udacity, Coursera, and the like), and the second will ensure that even if individuals choose to go to college, that the debt will always be manageable, and economic conditions will no longer preclude anybody from going to an institution of their choosing.

There are sets of shareholders under social security. One set is the employers; the other set is the employees. Each set contributed equal shares on a regular basis. Congress was suppose to be the guardian of the program. However, congress never paid anything into the system and yet without asking the shareholders for permission to take their money out of the system; congress went and took it anyway. If this occurred in the private sector; those folks would have been prosecuted for fraud. Therefore, force congress to repay to the system the entire amount that they illegally took out plus interest that should have accrued if the money hadn't been stolen from the shareholders. Who knows, maybe the SUPER PACS would help them..

Take away big oil subsidies, and offer back with conditions.

xyz oil company must sign an agreement to shift 75% of its operation into domestic (U.S) hydrogen, and bio-fuel production over the course of 10 years in a 3 step process.

1) Research and Development: Bring production costs down

2) Infrastructure construction: Building hydrogen compression plants, land acquisitions for bio-fuel production (Further incentives for utilizing waste products from existing industries ( existing water treatment plants)

3) Distribution: Offer high octane bio-fuels, hydrogen, and high octane conventional gasoline at the same fueling stations

P.S. : Create bigger incentives for using renewable hydrogen sources, and existing tech/ infrastructure

Benefits: Massive greenhouse reduction. Agricultural production speeds up natural greenhouse gas filtration. Utilizes the oil companies existing resources and infrastructure. Creates long lasting, good paying American jobs. Allows for objective vantage point into middle east issues. Creates incentives for economically friendly business practices from the oil companies without creating a political stand off.

One of the things we are missing in the UNITED States of America is something that unites all of us in common endeavors that strengthen our nation.
This relates to several "categories" (education, environment, employment, energy, technology).

WHEN? After high school, after graduating from college (or at the time of dropping out of high school or college). Perhaps with the requirement to be satisfied (for youth) by the time they reach the age of 26 or 28?

HOW? It would require establishing programs (combination of government and industry) for young people and would be mandatory for ALL, even handicapped people and definitely for those in all socioeconomic levels. There should be only RARE exceptions, because everyone can do something unless they are delinquent/behaviorally-unacceptable youth. There are models in other countries that we might adapt.
There would need to be housing & food (automatic in the military), and some very minimal stipend for basic expenses.

WHAT? Types of service could be military, Peace Corps, something like the old "CCC"-- Civilian Conservation Corps, medical or science aide, social work, perhaps even something in the world of cyberspace like interning in a particular application, perhaps like apprenticeships in construction or other trades.

Our economy is not going to be great for a while, and this might be an opportunity to establish such a service program so young people and those who have lost jobs would be gainfully occupied/employed instead of out of work or looking for jobs.

This would cost some money (the reason for industry-government partnerships). “Government” could be federal or state/local.
People today do not like the old military draft, but both boys and girls should register at 18 for national service. I don’t know exactly how it should be administered, but surely some folks know how.

This is a major change in thinking, but could be a unifying force for our country that we NEED! It should include an educational component about the power and value of cooperative endeavor and nation-building right here at home.

Wild stocks of ocean fish continue to decline. The US has 200 nautical miles of exculsive economic zone where it can grow its own high quality seafoods. "The United States imports over $10 billion dollars of seafood annually, far more seafood that it exports" (NOAA). We farm 2% of the worlds seafood. Half of the worlds seafood comes from a farm in China.

It is time to put US fishermen back to work and protect the future of our working waterfronts. The US needs to be more agressive about investing in sustainable and cost effective ways of farming its own seafood.

It is too hard to find investors when you are a young start -up. We spend more time sending Exec. Sum. to companies who are looking for the next Apple, Google, or some type of Mobile App so that if someone wants to make something in the USA. It is impossible to make something new in the USA. There needs to be an easier way to match up investors with start-up's
I am a start-up making Carbon Fiber wheels for the Auto Aftermarket, and I can't find an US investors. The only investors that ever reach out to me are from other countries, China, Brazil, South Africa.

The CEO of Kraft has compensation of 13.5 Million last year and "The President earns a $400,000 annual salary, along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account and $19,000 for entertainment". Tell me the mac and cheese guy should make 23.8 times more compensation then the CEO of the United States. I am sure at least ten other upper management are making 5 million a year. Now we all know that this is insane compensation for the job that they do. So take 65.5 million x .05 = 3.275 million compensation for 11 people ( CEO pay = $675,000 and the other 10 managers pay = $250,000). So take 65.5 million - $925,000 = 64.575 million to train/hire/improve improve frastructure. Mac and cheese making is hard work but I think we could find just as talented people who are way more than willing to take the job at $675,000 and $250,000. If we pegged a reasonable percent for CEO/upper management pay like this and made every corporation follow this plan then there would be plenty of money to hire and train every American that wanted to work. Also if workers would not pull their weight then have ALL workers/management vote on if that person deserves to be fired. Same goes with all management, they can be be fired if everyone votes to can them.

Many people would have you beleive that direct democracy would be something like mob rule and that it would hopelessly degenerate into a police state by slow manipulation at the top. I don't buy this bllsht, I think the main reason mob rule comes about is because constituency groups and special interests end up making it seem like they are the majority and by doing so, they excercise like a sort of psychological intimidation that anybody who has been acquainted with bullies will surely recognize. I think if EVERYONE in the United States were to vote on the LEGISLATION instead of the candidate, and hired an employee to execute the POLICY, we would have none of the problems we have now. Legislation could go through a wikipedia type process.

Thats it. No more bllsht