The recent tragic events at Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut have reignited a debate long smoldering at the heart of American society. As US politics goes, gun control is as radioactive as it gets. Yet this time, say some commentators, the extraordinary weight of grief has created a genuine mandate for action.
In the wake of the shootings a tidal wave of commentary and di...
What to Cut? How can the US Government reduce its fiscal deficits while still addressing national priorities?
Don Leonard
0 Points
Political Economist, Ithaca, Ny
In the early hours of 2013 the US Congress narrowly avoided driving the government off the so-called "fiscal cliff" by passing the American Taxpayer Relief Act. A compromise agreement on revenue, it allowed Bush-era tax cuts to expire for the wealthiest Americans--those individuals who make more than $400k per year or households making more than $450k.
While this tax increase is projected ...
Head of Content and Community, Deliberator, Paris, France
We are at the beginning of a major shift in on-road transport. Google's driverless car technology has logged hundreds of thousands of miles on public roads without causing a single accident (they have been run into by other cars, but it was always the fault of the other driver). They currently exist in a legal grey area in most places (Google defends itself saying "The law requires a person dri...
How can foreigners earning science degrees at American universities be encouraged to stay in the US after graduation?
Jason Rabinovitch
6 Points
Rocket Scientist in training, Pasadena (CA), United States
America is a global leader in scientific and technical education, but our industries face a shortage of qualified scientists and engineers. Even as the US graduates 16% of all PhDs worldwide in scientific and technical fields, a quarter of US science and engineering firms report difficulty in hiring, and by 2018 the country is projected to face a shortfall of 230,000 advanced degree workers in ...
How can the internet best be used to improve access to and reduce the costs of higher education?
Greg Thaler
61 Points
Political Scientist, Ithaca (NY), United States
In the last decade, the cost of a college education (undergraduate tuition, room, and board) rose 31% at private not-for-profit institutions and over 40% at public institutions. In the 2010-2011 academic year, tuition, room and board at a private university cost over $36,000.[1] Higher levels of educational attainment are associated with lower levels of unemployment and higher earnings, reinfor...
How can we ensure that accelerating technological convergence enhances rather than harms humanity?
David Wood
22 Points
Catalyst & Futurist, United Kingdom
Dramatic progress is being made in a number of important technology fields, with impacts that are hard to foresee. These fields include:
the manipulation of ever larger sets of information (IT and AI),
the reading and writing of genetic material (bio-tech, including synthetic biology),
the understanding of the human brain and mind (cognitive technology, including smart drugs / nootropics),
t...
How can citizens act to counter the influence of special interest money in politics?
Greg Thaler
61 Points
Political Scientist, Ithaca (NY), United States
In January 2010, the US Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission struck down legislative barriers to independent political expenditures by corporations and unions. In March 2010, the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in SpeechNOW.org v. Federal Election Commission that the amounts of these independent expenditures could not be subjected to limits. These two rulin...
How can government and society encourage females to enter higher positions of power in politics?
Triveni Gandhi
9 Points
Political Scientist, (NY), United States
While the 2012 election saw an upswing in female representation in the House and Senate, the gender balance numbers in the Congress and the broader administration is disappointingly low. Moreover, the recent House Steering Committee gave all 19 chair positions to (white) men. This reflects a serious problem where women and minorities face a great deal of difficulty in entering new spheres of po...
What national policies could reduce the environmental impact of transportation in the United States?
Kurt Muehmel
EDITOR
Head of Content and Community, Deliberator, Paris, France
In the United States, transportation accounts for 28% of total energy use, 27% of greenhouse gas emissions and 71% of petroleum consumption. Compared to the European Union, the US is more dependent on automobile use, with it counting for 85% of all passenger miles travelled (versus 75% in the EU).
As a consequence of greater reliance on automobiles, longer distances travelled, and less eff...
How can candidates be encouraged to run publicly-financed campaigns?
Greg Thaler
61 Points
Political Scientist, Ithaca (NY), United States
In the wake of the Watergate scandal, where Nixon officials used campaign money to fund illegal activities against the Democratic Party, public financing of presidential election campaigns became the norm. Through the 1971 Revenue Act and the 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act and its Amendments, federal funding is available to candidates both in presidential primaries and in the general electi...
