Winning "Ideas for Change in America" to be presented during Inauguration Day

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From: Change.org

Winners of the Ideas for Change in America Competition

January 17th, 2009

There are four days until the Inauguration, and the country is alight with excitement, not just about the arrival of Barack Obama in the White House but also for the beginning of a new era of civic engagement.

We’ve tapped into this energy with our Ideas for Change in America, and today we held a press event at the National Press Club in Washington DC to announce the winners of the competition. The 10 winning ideas reflect the diverse interests of the millions of people calling for change across the country, and include ideas for securing universal heath care, LGBT rights, and sustainable green energy. All winning ideas can be viewed at www.change.org/ideas.

The winning ideas were accepted on behalf of the Presidential Transition Team by Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media and the person who oversees our second-favorite website, Change.gov. Macon then addressed the attendees of the event, which included nonprofit leaders and grassroots activists, and spoke about the importance the administration will place on citizen-driven efforts like Ideas for Change.

After 656,991 votes for 7,847 ideas, we present the top 10 ideas for change (in no particular order):

• Pass the DREAM Act - Support Higher Education for All Students Dream ACTivist (add a suggestion)
• Appoint Secretary of Peace in Department of Peace and Non-Violence Stephen Zendt (add a suggestion)
• Free Single Payer Health Care Jared S (add a suggestion)
• Develop & Implement a National Strategy for Sustainability Rob Wheeler (add a suggestion)
• Pass Marriage Equality Rights for LGBT Couples Nationwide Jen N. (add a suggestion)

• Make the grid green in 10 years Liz Rose (add a suggestion)
• Legalize the Medicinal and Recreational Use of Marijuana Jose Torres (add a suggestion)
• Get FISA Right, repeal the PATRIOT Act, and restore our civil liberties Jon Pincus (add a suggestion)
• Save Small Business From the CPSIA Cecilia Leibovitz (add a suggestion)
• Health Freedom IS Our First Freedom Bill Pleasants (add a suggestion)

Over the next week we will be working with nonprofit sponsors for each idea, including 1Sky, Healthcare-NOW!, and The Peace Alliance, to craft national campaigns around each idea. In the meantime, we have opened discussion for how to most effectively turn each idea into a successful national campaign, and would love your suggestions.

We also want to recognize the additional 25 ideas that received over 2500 votes, each of which attracted an impressive community. We are excited to be able to support these and other ideas as well over the next year as we build out a broader platform for individuals and organizations to promote the changes they seek.

• ReBuild and RePower America with a Green Stimulus Package. Jake Brewer (add a suggestion)
• Bridging the Empathy Gap - Yes We Can! Jori Manske (add a suggestion)
• High Speed Rail Trains to Cut Emissions, Cost of Travel and Create Jobs David Cohn (add a suggestion)
• Victory Gardens 2.0 Roger Doiron (add a suggestion)
• END CORPORATE "PERSONHOOD" ED CIACCIO (add a suggestion)
• Repeal the Patriot Act Pierre Loiselle (add a suggestion)
• Legalize Milk Charles N. Rutledge (add a suggestion)
• Leave Iraq Now! Clint Tomlinson (add a suggestion)
• Introduce Esperanto as a foreign language subject in schools to help American kids succeed Oleg Izyumenko (add a suggestion)
• Forgive Student Loans: Stimulate the Middle and Lower Middle Class Sarah Szalavitz (add a suggestion)
• Appoint a Special Prosecutor for the Crimes of the Bush Administration Bob Fertik (add a suggestion)
• Stop Animal Torture Ginette Callaway (add a suggestion)
• Restore Investments In Rail Service And Infrastructure Baratunde Thurston (add a suggestion)

• US Leadership to Abolish Nuclear Weapons Globally David Krieger (add a suggestion)
• Fully Fund Medicaid Waivers for the Developmentally Disabled Renee Beauregard (add a suggestion)
• Abortion rights Suzanne Davis (add a suggestion)
• Mobilize Mentors, Tutors, and Citizen Teachers to Help Kids Succeed Eric Schwarz (add a suggestion)
• Make FREE Trade FAIR Trade For Them AND for US Keith Rouda (add a suggestion)
• Ban Breed Specific Legislation Whitney Fisher (add a suggestion)
• Protect Our Food Supply – Stop NAIS! Pamela Matlack Klein (add a suggestion)
• Solar power: yes we can! Bob Cohen (add a suggestion)
• Healthful school lunch options Alex Hershaft (add a suggestion)
• Pass the Puppy Uniform Protection Statute to Help Stop Puppy Mills Carie Lewis (add a suggestion)
• Solve The Credit Crisis From The Bottom Up Through Social Lending Scott Krager (add a suggestion)
• End the Genocide in Darfur Jerry Fowler (add a suggestio

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