OK, seriously, you are beginning to make everyone a little tired of your idea for a submarine that can also fly.

Or your idea that the government is truly behind the expression, “It’s raining cats and dogs,” because they are secretly trying to brainwash everyone into thinking global warming is not affecting the world or something like that.

That cool idea you think you have about making everyone where coveralls to lessen the amount of dry cleaning is a little half-baked.

But, then again, you do have some good ideas and you shouldn’t let them die or get stolen by other people.

Perhaps you see a way to ease racial tensions in this country or to improve the social security system or foreign policy.

A graduate student showed us that ideas are actually worth money. Leslie Hester’s plan for educational reform won her $50,000 from SinceSlicedBread.com. By writing only 174 words (less than half of this editorial), Hester made it to the semi-finals of the competition and took home the runner-up prize along with the money.

So, you see, there are outlets for everything on the Internet, and almost every organization offers some sort of contest that is open to students. Get some money for your ideas. Don’t just rest on them or write them in your cool, kid journal and never look at them again. Just 174 words people. That’s $287 a word!

Right now, many essay competitions you should be aware of that are open to students.

The Ayn Rand Institute offers an essay competition — which pays a $5,000 prize to the winner — for college students (http://www.aynrand.org).

“We the People:” The National Endowment for the Humanities, also has an essay competition that pay out another $5,000 (http://www.neh.gov/wtp/essay/index.html).

Now, we all know you have some great ideas for the direction this country should take, and these foundations want to hear them. It is up to us, the future leaders of America, to dictate the policies that will affect the future.

So get out the pen and paper, fire up the computer and put the coffee on because not only is there money to be made with your ideas, but you could end up changing the world.