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North Pinellas men have chance to win $100,000 for their ideas

John Biddle and Maj. Dan Clark are two of 21 finalists in a national contest that seeks to help working families.

By VANESSA DE LA TORRE
Published January 11, 2006

It almost sounds like a riddle that was never meant to be solved, but contemplated, preferably over a cold ham sandwich and a half-empty coffee mug, with furrowed brow and slumped shoulders.

The question: "What is the best idea for working families since sliced bread?"

The answer? Possibly in the minds of two North Pinellas men.

John Biddle, a computer analyst from Clearwater, believes that workers should have flexibility when investing pension money. Maj. Dan Clark, an Army military police officer from Largo, has suggested a Civil Works Corps of young people who would do public service for college aid.

Both ideas are among 21 finalists - from a flat tax on Social Security to free wireless Internet - being debated on www.SinceSlicedBread.com the site of a nationwide contest in which amateur policymakers are competing for $100,000 in cold hard cash.

For Biddle and Clark, the odds for nailing the grand prize have suddenly become excellent.

Judges for the contest, sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, picked their ideas from more than 22,000 submitted online last year addressing such issues as health care costs, public education and home ownership. The panel included former U.S. Sen. and New York Knicks star Bill Bradley, political commentator Ed Rollins and Wendy Kopp, president and founder of Teach for America.

Now the public gets to narrow the finalists down to seven. The first round of online voting started Monday and ends Sunday.

"I buy a Lotto ticket once a week," said Biddle, 53. "This is better than the Lotto."

Clark, 43, said he read about the contest in Parade magazine. "Apparently a lot of people read about it, too."

The enthusiasm surprised even union officials.

"WOW," wrote president Andy Stern on the contest Web site Monday. "We at SEIU have always had faith in ordinary Americans having the best ideas."

Biddle, who works for J.P. Morgan Chase in Tampa, said the guidelines for submission were simple: Name an issue or problem, explain how to fix it and mention how the solution would benefit workers in 175 words or less.

Although Biddle thinks companies are basically good, his idea came from the dark side of corporate dealings. Time and again, stocks plummet, and executives take money from employee pensions.

When a major firm goes bankrupt, said Biddle, "it's invariably the people who pay the price, not the companies or the companies' management."

His plan would require a law that gives employees voluntary control over their retirement funds and where they are invested.

"I'm sure other people have thought of this idea in some form," Biddle said. "It's not any great wisdom on my part."

Clark, who submitted seven ideas, said his concept for a Civil Works Corps came from an issue long discussed among military types, as well as knowledge of the New Deal era's federal Civilian Conservation Corps.

"We get diverted to do a lot of hurricane cleanup and things like that. These would be civilians," said Clark, mostly young people, about 50,000 strong. The program, which would be overseen by the Department of Defense, would train people in various tasks, such as fighting fires, maintaining national parks, responding to disasters and providing administrative help to state and local governments.

"Youth would "enlist' in the CWC for 2-4 years, earning 30 days of annual leave and medical benefits during the period," Clark wrote in his entry. "Honorably-discharged CWC "veterans' would earn college tuition assistance . . . similar to the GI Bill."

But some critics, many posting anonymously on the contest blog, have called the ideas unoriginal and the whole contest a sham.

"I confess - I'm a bit surprised at the hostility meeting the 21 ideas announced yesterday morning," Stern wrote in a message posted Tuesday on www.SinceSlicedBread.com "Let's take a minute to appreciate the work of the 21 people who are finalists - they are amazing ideas that deserve discussion and consideration."

The ideas will be featured in a book that SEIU expects to publish in February.

And of course, $100,000 is at stake.

Cheryl Parker Rose, SEIU's assistant to the president for strategic initiatives, said the contest was more than a gimmick for the 1.8-million member union, known for its "Justice for Janitors" campaign. Rather, it was an exercise in public discourse.

Clark agreed.

"The whole intent of this contest is that it's a national forum for ideas from ordinary citizens to improve the lives of everyone," he said. "No idea is going to be a panacea for everything. But there's a lot of stuff we can do."

The winner, who will be announced in Washington, D.C., next month, also gets a pledge from SEIU to promote the idea among legislators.

Two runners-up won't be shedding too many tears; the union has offered a consolation prize of $50,000 each.

[Last modified January 11, 2006, 01:07:02]