And The Winner Is...

And The Winner Is

Eat the View!

Eat the View!

3994 Votes
Replant an organic Victory Garden on the First Lawn with the produce going to the White House kitchen and local food pantries. The White House is "America's House" and should serve as a model at a time of economic and environmental crisis. President-elect Obama would not be breaking with tradition, but returning to it (the White House has had kitchen gardens before) and leading by personal example on global challenges such as food security, climate change, and energy independence

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The 9 For 09

Restoring Human Rights

Restoring Human Rights

890 Votes
Your first act should be to eliminate and forbid torture under any cercumstances. Then close the prison camp at Guantanimo. Make sure that all prisoners are released or actually charged with a crime. Those charged should be tried by due process under the constitution. A full investigation should hold responsible anybody who authorized mistreatment of prisoners. If war crimes are discovered, they should be prosecuted. [See Full Idea]
Fighting the roots of terrorism
The last 7 years have shown that we can not defeat terrorism through force. We must tackle the root causes of terrorism, which include poverty, war, oppression, lack of economic opportunities, lack of education, etc. Obama should empower the State Department and USAID, expand the Peace Corps, academic exchanges, and rebuild relationships with our allies. The US should work mulit-laterally through the UN and regional organizations to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict & stabilize Iraq. [See Full Idea]
Create a Cabinet Level Department of Peace
Pass pending Senate Bill H.R. 808 to establish a cabinet level Department of Peace, to assemble our most experienced and greatest minds in peacebuilding, & to fund & implement ideas for solving conflict before it escalates into violence. The 2007 budget for our Dept. of War (aka Defense) was $439,533,000,000; imagine the positive impact of those same dollars under a Dept. of Peace. We must implement a national strategy to end the global problem of violence. Learn how at www.thepeacealliance.org [See Full Idea]
Commit to Global Nuclear Disarmament
On Day One, the next president should work within the multilateral nonproliferation framework and toward a goal of zero nuclear weapons worldwide. In the immediate term, we should stop working on new generations of nuclear weapons, ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and work with Russia on bilateral reductions in armaments. To prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, we need to get other countries on our side by first convincing them that we ourselves are acting in good faith. [See Full Idea]
Pursuing The Global Common Good
Common Good Project Pursuing a Global Common Good means that U.S. foreign policy must go beyond preconceived notions of national self-interest and security by including our ethical obligations to the global community. Whether arguing against unjust wars or for our responsibility to lead against global warming, we challenge the faulty view that our national interests conflict with our ethical obligations. [See Full Idea]
Begin to End the War in Iraq
On Day One of the next presidency, I hope that the president will begin to end the war and throw the corporations out of controlling our government. [See Full Idea]
Reform Foreign Assistance

Reform Foreign Assistance

954 Votes
We spend $23.5bn on foreign assistance, much of which is mismanaged and corrupted, and not ending up in the hands of those to whom it's intended (i.e. the poor!). The next president needs to make a concerted effort to reform our broken foreign assistance programs. We should use PROVEN models of assistance that will provide for wealth accumulation for the poor from the bottom up -- things like development of microfinance, conditional cash transfer programs, and child development accounts. [See Full Idea]
Guarantee Women's Rights

Guarantee Women's Rights

623 Votes
On Day One of the new administration, the next U.S. president needs to protect women's human rights, guarantee every woman's right to health services, and make sure girls and women have the power to protect themselves against HIV/AIDS. [See Full Idea]

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