If you're not planning to use it - don't sit on it!
It still doesn't solve the problem: then they're all just squatted by the rich.
That can't be right.
Even if you set the registration price to say $1,000 I think you'd solve a lot of problems. People wouldn't just buy 20 domains just incase they might put something on 1 of them.
Sure, you'd still get people squatting on names, but to a far lesser extent.
Currently, people just buy up a ton of domains thinking "Wow I'd like to develop that someday". It's antisocial, but it's encouraged by the nominal price of registering domains.
</rant>
Do you realize the impact that would have on innovating new web apps?
edit: It'd also be likely someone would startup some 'free/cheap' subdomain hosting for people who don't want to pay the $1000... eg myapp.free.com
no, that is not the answer.
BTW: I'm using a free SSL cert at the moment.
They already exist. They're all over the place really...
Right now I can get an SSL certificate and register a domain name for under $30 through Dreamhost.
I can think of a few projects that I've started that have helped a few people that never would have gotten off the ground if we had your preposterous $1k fee for registrations.
The current system's not great, sure, but it's a whale better than your "only the rich can register" plan.
The closest thing I can come up with would be to in-act some kind of domain activity monitor (use it or loose it) type pattern, but I don't seriously think this would ever happen either.