USAction Among Ten Winners in Ideas for America Competition; Will Be Featured in National Change.org Campaign

WASHINGTON, March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Change.org today announced the ten winners of its "2010 Ideas for Change in America" competition and USAction's proposal – to create 1.5 million jobs by fixing our crumbling schools – finished fifth in the balloting.

More than 100,000 people across the country voted online in the competition, which drew more than 2,500 proposals. Some of the other winning proposals included legalizing marijuana; amending the U.S. Constitution to rein in corporate power in our political system; allowing "good-time" allowances in federal prison sentencing; fighting rare disease; and preserving farmland.

USAction's proposal finished strong after its membership  responded enthusiastically to appeals from the organization's  online department, TrueMajority. TrueMajority became a part of USAction in 2007, part of an historic effort to combine grassroots organizing with online capacity.

TrueMajority Director Matt Holland said activists across the country are anxious to see spending and budget decisions that effectively address the nation's priorities – and education is chief among them.

"America's kids are going to school in trailers and other sub-standard buildings while construction workers sit idle thanks to the housing market crash," Holland said. "But we can repair or rebuild thousands of schools in communities all across America. And the 1.5 million jobs we'd create would pay fair wages and can't be outsourced to other countries."

Now that the voting has been completed, Change.org plans to present the winning ideas to the relevant members of Congress and the Obama Administration, as well as develop national campaigns to promote each idea with the help of the group's one million members.

"Now is when the real work begins," said Change.org Advocacy Director Robin Beck. "We will work very closely with the top ten idea creators to help their campaigns fulfill their full potential. I'm looking forward to working with all the winners, from individual activists to large nonprofits, in order to bring their ideas before the Change.org community, as well as to political leaders in Washington."

SOURCE USAction