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Double Helix Wind Turbine

"The Helix Wind Turbine is a 2kw grid tie or off grid power system. For more information please visit the company web site http://www.helixwind.com"

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

This company would have a 5 Star Rating with the Made in the USA Rewards Card:

I submitted this idea to the Obama team and hope you will submit yours to them as well. THIS HELIX WIND IDEA SEEMS REMARKABLE! Where can we buy one or two and how much do they cost? Are you incorporated? Can we invest?

If the Made in the USA Rewards system were implemented, investment money would flood into green energy solutions such as this. We can post to http://change.gov/agenda/economy_agenda/ to help ring in our ideas for change.

This idea is a comprehensive approach to the problems we now face economically, ethically, and environmentally. The approach establishes a reward in the form of a tax credit for responsible spending rather than a tax, embargo, or other negatively percieved edict. It affects only American tax payers, so our scope isn't over stepped. The catch is, that American consumer spending has a SIGNIFICANT effect on global markets. This driving factor could hold global promise in implementing this rewards system.

When the twin towers were hit, president Bush encouraged Americans to go out and spend money. This idea is much more comprehensive and has a more sustainable effect.

The path is cleared: American's are used to Rewards Systems. We have Rewards Cards at grocery stores and with our credit cards for example. The foreground is ripe in this regard. American's are also used to 5 Star Rating systems. Don't we all ascribe bragging rights to staying at 5 star hotels?

Our technology is sophistacted enough to implement this idea with minimal investment. I could put much of it together in a simple Excel spread sheet.

The Made in the USA Rewards System:

This is a volunteer system that producers and consumers can participate in which will assign both producers and buyers a 5 star rating. Consumer spending that is tracked through the use of the Made in the USA Rewards Card will qualify for a tax credit which depends on the amount and averaged producer rating that consumer's have purchased from.

The enrollment will be online for both consumers and producers. Consumers will be able to enroll in less than 15 minutes, while producers can expect about 2 hours time expected to enroll. They will have one form to fill out for each of the five domains, and perhaps more if their industry has an extra requirement because of environmental impacts. The program will be subject to audit. More on the enforcement agencies to audit will follow.

The five star rating for producers will be derived from 5 basic domains. This allows for simplified 20% increments in calculations.

Domains:

1. Number of people employed in the United States of America. For example, if 20% of the companies employees are employeed in the United States, they will have one star which equals 20% of their whole employment population. If the company employs 100% of their employees in the US, then they get 5 stars. They achieve 100% saturation of that domain. It is very important that this domain be calculated on a per capita basis, rather than the amount spent on incomes in the US because of the cost of living differences that exist from our country compared to other countries.

2. Environment: If the company adheres to environmental standards and expectations under US law overseas, they can obtain higher star rankings for the degree of adherence to US environmental law. This will help curb global warming, and advance EPA, OSHA, and environmental standards abroad. This will also encourage corporations who relax enviornmental standards when operating overseas to practice the more stringent of standards. It will be important to add industry specific criteria to this standard. For example, if the company is an auto maker, and they don't have a declared percentage of their cars produced fuel efficient, then they achieve a lower ranking. Engineering technology would then have an incentive to bloom. Another example would be coffee producers. Best practices in the coffee industry reveal shade grown, bird friendly techniques that preserve our rain forests and create oxygen.

3. Supply Chain Miles: This domain will evaluate the total number of supply chain miles needed to bring a product to market. This piece has a huge and often unseen impact on our carbon footprint. If producers will consider reducing their supply chain miles to achieve a higher ranking in hopes of greater ranking for American conumers, then we will help the environment and drive local economies.

4. Fair Trade: If a producer provides the same standards we do in the US for their employees, then they can achieve 5 stars for this domain. This is not to say that their minimum wage be as high as ours, but that they provide the same benefits we do. This can be scaled of course. They should provide unemployment insurance, retirement, sick leave, family medical leave, protections from sexual harrassment, and whatever earmarks you choose to define that align to US standards.

5. Social Care: If a producer of goods operates in areas of the globe that provide for education of youth, and care of elderly, and infermed to at least the level that we in the US do, then they can achieve a 5 star rating in this domain. It is important that our young be scaffolded to be productive and comprehensive contributors to society in the future. It is also important that the elderly not be reduced to begging and ridicule after serving their communities. It is also important that those who are incapacitated not be at the mercy of begging to achieve sustenance. This might encourage advancement in social domains worldwide as American consumers are an intrigal component of the world economy.

CONSUMER:

The American consumer can register in under 15 minutes. If we elect to track spending on the Made in the USA rewards card, we can either enter the number in during the transaction, or scan the card. With UPC technology, it shouldn't be too hard to total and track spending even at the retail level. I can foresee a future where producers will reveal their Made in the USA ranking right on the packaging to entice buyers.

When tax time arrives, a consumer can log onto their Made in the USA Rewards Account and print a summary of spending for the year, which will also average the total spending amount and ranking of producer to give the total star ranking that becomes our consumer ranking. Consious people will have bragging rights to obtain a higher star rating.

401Ks will also fall under this rewards system. If we choose to devote our investment dollars in 5 star Made in the USA companies...for example a wind farm in Texas, then we will know that a higher percentage of our investment will be tax deductible. This may necessitate a change in pre-tax systems, or we can just change the 401K system to merge with this program. 401K spending in 5 star Made in the USA companies will be pre-tax and partially tax deductible, while 401K spending in 3 star or less, will be simply pre-tax as usuall.

I think it will be important to graduate the benefits in the tax credit. For example if a person spends 10,000 that they tracked on the rewards card for the year, and they had a 5 star rating, that should have a percentage value much higher than someone who had a 4 star, and a much less tax cut percentage to the 3 star, and even less to the 2 star, and a 1 star might have 5% or something that encourages enrollment, but doesn't reward like the top of the compliance ladder.

Enforcement: This system could be enforced in much the same was tax fraud is enforced. We can perform random audits of the system. We can have US government officials from our various enforcement agencies that represent enforcement in the US for the 5 domains listed. Failure to honestly report can result in disqualification from participating in the program for example.

Layoffs: If a company elects to lay off employees as a means of driving up their stock value or for any other reason that will effect their qualification for a ranking in one of the afforementioned domains, then they will be required to submit a change to the website within 2 weeks or some other defined period of time or risk being banned from participation from the Made in the USA Reward System for a period of time to be defined, but no less than one year.

This system creates a simple system to inform the consumer of the ethics employed by the producer without placing any kind of tarrif, embargo, tax, or other invasive measure into the market.

Please help the president to understand that as the next president of the US, he weilds the most powerful force in the world. The American consumer. The most comprehensive thing he can do is develop something like this to inject empathy into our spending. You said we didn't suffer from a financial deficit in this country, we suffer from an empathy deficit. I coulnd't agree more.

We can develop much more with respect to this idea. If you would like to call me for more feedback, I would be elated at the opportunity. I don't require money. I just want to help develop solutions that will make the world a more hospitable environment for my 5 year old son and for my 24 year old. I can't imagine who would bauck at this idea. The right of the isle should love it. I can't see anyone who prides themselves in being American and wanting tax relief opposing this proposal. This would also get people on the right of the isle looking at the more left issues in connection with American values.

I hope to hear from you soon,

Nora