IU has finalist in idea contest

Filippo Menczer may have come up with the best idea since sliced bread. \nMenczer had no idea his entry in the "Since Sliced Bread" contest would get so far in the competition. But on Jan. 9, the Informatics and Computer Science Professor was named one of seven finalists for his idea to link minimum wage with the cost of living. If he wins the contest, Menczer will win a $100,000 prize. If he finishes in second or third place, he will win $50,000.\nThe contest, run through the Web site www.sinceslicedbread.com, asked entrants to submit an idea, and in 175 words or less describe the issue or problem, how they would fix it, and how fixing it would benefit working men and women.\n"The idea came about by noting how every few years there is a political debate on the necessity to increase the minimum wage, given that the increase in the cost of living has made it insufficient to live on minimum wage," Menczer said.\nThe contest had about 22,000 entries. Of those, a panel of judges selected 21 to move on to a second round. Then, visitors to the Web site were able to vote for their favorite entry, and the seven entries receiving the most votes were named finalists. The public was then allowed to vote in a final round, and the top three entries will be declared winners. The panel of judges will select the winner from the top three ideas and announce the winner on the Web site the morning after President George W. Bush delivers his State of the Union address on Jan. 31.\nMenczer said he thinks minimum wage should be linked to the cost of living index so that minimum wage workers always have the same purchasing power, and so that every worker can meet the cost of living.\n"It seems silly to have the very same debate every few years (over minimum wage increases)," Menczer said. "And most importantly, it seems unfair to hard-code into the system a devaluation of the minimum wage by setting a fixed dollar amount. We may debate whether a minimum wage is a good idea, but as long as it is law, it should be fair."\nThe contest is run by the Service Employees International Union, a group that advocates for the working class. The union has about 1.8 million members, including employees in health care, home care, building cleaning and security.\nMenczer said his idea didn't come from any personal experiences, but observations he has made of the American political system.\nThe other six final ideas concern similar social and political issues. One suggests that the government should create a "civil works corps" to work on government construction projects. Another suggests a flat tax for Social Security. Other ideas concern health care, education and labor laws.\nMenczer said he might win, but the real point of the contest is to find ideas to help the working class and American society.\n"Statistically, there is a 43 percent chance (of winning) at this stage, so it is a real possibility," he said. "But the most important thing is to stimulate a discussion around the important issues that all of the seven finalist ideas embody"