Barack Obama is going to appoint the nation's first CTO. What are the top priorities?
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21 votes
Make software and business methods unpatentable
Patents are a creation of statute, and can be removed by statute. Software and business method patents are a farce which have caused innovation to stagnate and companies to waste billions on lawyers. They are toxic to the development of free software. The very idea that an abstract idea can be... More
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21 votes
Move federal employees off of expensive MS Office
Over 90% of federal employees using Microsoft Office could be equally productive using free equivalents such as OpenOffice.
Mandating the usage of established open source technologies would save the federal government many tens of MILLIONS of dollars.
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21 votes
Develop a secure web-based voting system for elections.
Encourage those with internet connections to vote via the web. The system would be run using social security numbers to ensure no voter fraud. This would provide voters with immediate web access to be an informed at the polls, would increase the "youth" vote and would reduce long lines ... More
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19 votes
Break up Microsoft into MANY small Companies
Microsoft has repeatedly violated the Sherman Antitrust act over the last 30 years. This is unacceptable. This monopoly does nothing except stifle innovation. Small business is the key to innovation in this country. We are 30 years behind where we would be in terms of technology because of M... More
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19 votes
Stop the H1b and L1 Visas
While there is a recession put the H1b and L1Temporary Technology Worker Visas On Hold. This will allow unemployed American IT workers to get jobs and also encourage students to take Computer Science as a Major. Invest in Americans.
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19 votes
tax-penalize companies who overuse H1B to keep wages down
Many or most large corporations are using off-shored IT resources because they are cheaper. They are also hiring a lot of foreign H1B-visa employees, claiming that similar expertise cannot be found in the U. S. work force. This is a blatant misrepresentation; there is plenty of expertise, but i... More
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19 votes
A plan to end the war in Iraq within months
In a nutshell, it's about running a big media campaign in Iraq to show good willed intentions, win hearts and gain trust.
I imagine Obama speeches addressing the so called terrorists, explaining that Iraq needs them. I imagine speeches telling that for US troops to leave, order must be restored,... More
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18 votes
Tony Dawes
Your only choice should be Tony Dawes from Suquamish WA. Not only is he the brilliant cyber-czar you are looking for but he is a down to earth family man who would be a tremendous asset to this post.
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18 votes
Declare IE6 obsolete
Declare IE6 obsolete and ban its usage in the US, include a compulsory "Ban IE6" clause in any trade agreement between the US and any other nation.
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17 votes
Encourage educated foreign citizens to stay/come to the U.S.
Increase the length of time a foreign born individual can stay in the U.S. on a student visa, and fast track visas for those who are skilled and educated. Allocate a percentage of the visas to be used for the most highly skilled applicants.
Also, reduce the uncertainty for the visa application ... More -
17 votes
Unified Civic Network
The Obama administration should sponsor, in partnership with various public and private entities, the creation of a unified meta-network of state, county and municipal online communities.
The government should not own this network, it should be built as a co-op owned by the citizenry and manage... More
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17 votes
Breaks up the monopoly that cable companies have.
Most cable companies operate in areas that there simply isn't any choice but to use their service (or not use the internet at all). This needs to stop. Allow me the choice to have other companies come in and provide service to the areas (or force them to if there is some price fixing happening). ... More
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16 votes
Stop Outsourcing as it is the root cause of all problems
Outsourcing is the root cause of all the problems. Put limits on outsourcing of manufacturing jobs to China and high paying computer jobs to India.
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16 votes
Decomplicate Undersimplification
Does every voter have to have a friggin advanced degree to understand what they're voting for? What about all of the contracts we sign by clicking "I accept"? Smart people are making it harder, not easier, for the rest of us average types to get by in this world. Cut it out! The new CTO... More
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16 votes
Enact a content consumer's Bill of Rights
The US has slid much too far in the direction of protection of large corporate copyright holders, to the exclusion of traditional Fair Use of the content we consume. We should enact legislation specifically protecting the right of consumers to archive, copy, and transfer content to different med... More
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16 votes
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16 votes
resign and help Obama eliminate the national CTO position
The idea for a "National CTO" is counter productive. I don't want the Federal Government to have any kind of control over the Internet or technology development. Such interference with the markets will only hurt development in the long run.
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16 votes
Remove Under God from pledge and In God We Trust from money
I would like the Pledge of Allegiance to be restored what it was before the words "Under God" were added. Also I would like the words "In God We Trust" removed from the currency.
Our government is supposed to be secular and having these words on our money and in our pledge ... More -
16 votes
Protect privacy online, and across databases
Privacy means the right against unsanctioned invasion of privacy by the government, corporations or individuals, and should be protected with laws.
Personal details of any kind, including medical, financial, or political information should be accessed, communicated and traded with utmost discret... More
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15 votes
Create an official version of this website
Create an official government website that will allow the people of the United States of America to suggest and vote for priority on items that they wish the chief technology officer (CTO) of the United States of America to address. ObamaCTO.org is an excellent step in the right direction, and d... More
