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Penny Petronis - Thursday, October 01, 2009   Jury Duty - Required for those on Public Assistance Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (297 votes cast) Make it a requirement that those who receive public assistance serve on a jury. Lawyers can choose among a group of these people to satisy the jury among 12 of your peers. Figure out more ways for them to repay society. Maybe it will encourage them to get off public assistance. Turn Jury Duty into Part-Time Jobs. I'm sure plenty of people would apply for them.

Penny Petronis - Wednesday, September 30, 2009   Companies should provide On the Job Training Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (329 votes cast) Companies should be required to provide On the Job Training to new hires. Since when did the State of Michigan become responsible for retraining workers? If Michigan provides millions of dollars in Tax Breaks to a company, that company should be required to hire people and train them on the job. People should be hired on their past work experience and learn any new skills during a 30 to 60 day trial period. You want a higher education, you pay for it. Plus, people that are receiving any job retraining benefits, should be forced to pay a portion of it back once they find a job. Jobs should be entry level, training provided, hire upon successful performance and regular pay increases due to performance. If you can't cut it, NEXT!

Doug Dante - Tuesday, September 29, 2009   Recommendations for the Michigan Friend of the Court Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.1 (308 votes cast) Members of the Michigan House/Senate Judiciary Committees, Here are my recommendations for the family justice system in Michigan or the Michigan Friend of the Court. As you know, these programs effect millions of Michiganians, including children, parents, and extended family members, and as members of the Michigan House and Senate Judiciary Committees, you are the people's elected representatives regarding these matters. There is a previously available summary and recommendations here which may assist you: http://www.scribd.com/doc/12745431/Suggestions-to-Help-the-Michigan-Friend-of-the-Court-Strengthen-Families However, recommendations to you committee include matters such as: * Reform child custody procedures so that African American fathers are no longer only 3/5hs as likely as White Non-Hispanic fathers to receive a custody recommendation for joint custody or a for father sole custody. http://www.scribd.com/doc/6169001/Analysis-of-Friend-of-the-Court-Custody-Recommendations * Reform court procedures to ensure that parents and children get due process and that an impartial court has weighed all of the relevant facts. http://www.scribd.com/doc/3123830/Michigan-Child-Custody-Survey-Report http://www.scribd.com/doc/2561734/Some-Thoughts-on-Child-Custody-Hearings * Reform the Friend of the Court Association to stop illegal lobbying using taxpayer dollars. http://www.scribd.com/doc/12744555/Is-the-Friend-of-the-Court-Stealing-Taxpayer-Dollars-From-Children-for-Illegal-Lobbying * Reform the office of court recorder so that all litigants can get contemporaneous recordings, and we don't have consistent accusations that court proceedings were altered after the fact by insiders. http://www.scribd.com/doc/2257035/Contemporaneous-Recordings-for-Referee-Hearings-in-Michigan * Create an independent fraud tip line and an independent internal investigative unit at the FOC to uncover underhanded activities. Provide a mechanism for members of the public to submit r

Roz Nienhuis - Monday, September 28, 2009   Going Green & Bottleless Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (312 votes cast) How about every city in Michigan taking a pledge to go bottleless? It is being done in many other states. There are schools, businesses, even entire towns doing it. This program would greatly reduce the amount of plastics being dumped our waste steam. Bottled water wastes fossil fuels and water in production and transport, and when the water is drunk the bottles become a major source of waste. It takes more than 47 million gallons of oil to produce plastic water bottles for Americans every year. Eliminating those bottles would be like taking 100,000 cars off the road and 1 billion pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.Each one of those bottles required nearly five times its volume in water to manufacture the plastic and may have caused the release of nickel, ethylene oxide, and benzene. Then, rather than being recycled, 86 percent of them are thrown away. Breaking down these plastics can take thousands of years, while their components seep into our water supplies. Cities can then install water refill stations where people can refill their own reuseable water bottle.

Jim Ahrenberg - Sunday, September 27, 2009   Classroom sponsored Adopt-A-Moose Lick Rate this idea:   Current Rating: 3.0 (312 votes cast) Part classroom, part appreciation of Michigan's natural resources. Create a curriculum for classrooms to teach about Michigan's moose and broaden awareness of our natural environment. Students could also participate in the construction, maintenance and monitoring of salt licks through the management of Michigan's DNR. Web-cams could be installed to bring the experience into any or all Michigan schools. Sponsorship would be provided by local schools and it's own voluntary fund raising activities.