Posted on 09/13/2007 10:45:43 PM PDT by Coleus
For Wayne Logan, a single father of two, being selected for the city's experimental cash-rewards program for the poor was like hitting the lottery. "I'm happy. I'm grateful," he declared, sounding somewhat amazed at his good fortune. "To get paid to do things I'm doing anyway is a welcome feeling." Logan, 49, was among the first enrollees in a daring $50 million pilot project launched by Mayor Bloomberg with private funds to pay poor families as much as $5,000 a year simply to do the right thing.
A child getting a library card is worth $50. A student who passes a standardized math or English exam is eligible to get a $300 payoff for each. Complete two dental visits a year? That's $100 in your pocket. Logan insisted that almost all the 28 activities prescribed by the city are already on his checklist.
He was recertified for Medicaid (worth $40), gets an annual checkup ($200), and recently took his son to the dentist. Good grades for his kids - a passing grade on a Regents test would produce a $600 windfall - seem in the offing. "My kids do good in school," said Logan, who puts his annual income at under $20,000.
"To get paid is an extra added incentive." But the Bronx father, who's had a hard time making ends meet as a part-time office-machine repairer, admitted he hasn't been diligent when it comes to parent-teacher conferences. Now, he said, "It might motivate me" since the city would give him $25 to attend. Seconds later, he's more certain: "It's going to motivate me."
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Great, what leftist group is buying votes now?
He sounds like a good Dad. Too bad he can’t see how this cheapens him and everyone else.
Sad.
How about a full time job, instead?
When I was young and my kids were in school, I walked them to and from school until they were in the seventh grad. I attended every partent teacher meeting, every play, every student event and every fundraiser. I paid for their tuition out of my own pocket, except for part of one year when I needed a little help. I wouldn’t put them in public school because their classmates needed to learn English and I didn’t want my kids sitting there half the day reading.
My kids went to the pediatrician from day one. They were encoraged to study and given a hard time if they didn’t. They ate well, brushed their teeth and took their oral vitamins.
I’m thinking I could have done pretty well if someone would have paid me to do everything I was supposed to do as a dad. Stupid me, I thought it was my duty as a parent.
If someone would have offered to pay me, I’d have told them to stuff it where the sun don’t shine.
I think that this sentence really captures the truth about this program.
Very well stated.
And all this time I thought the government was there to do those things individuals simply CAN'T do, like defend the country, deliver mail, etc.
All that other stuff I thought was called "Living."
Words fail me.
Yeah, we’re cheapened alright. In the wallet.
Excuse me, but what is daring about paying people to do what they should be doing anyway? Stupid is more like it.
The only bright spot is that this is being paid for with "private funds," what ever that means. Of course, if it proves successful, the private funds will quickly become public funds.
I think it's a ridiculous idea, but people are free to spend waste their money however they like. So long as the taxpayers don't end up footing the bill when it's no longer a pet "pilot project".
You want to ere something weird?! TRUE story... I had dejavu of this exact posts and your replies about 5 or 6 months ago!
How weird is that!?
honestly!!!
MJ
P.S.
maybe I need to cut down on my reading time for Freepers!?!
naw.. too important.
sorry about typos... don`t remember that from the dejavu :p
MJ
Whatever happened to “Earn it”?
I think I remember this too. Something stinks.
There was a program proposed a few years ago in Maryland that would pay parolees and other released criminals a stipend as an incentive to stay out of trouble. I don’t remember if it ever passed.
Step 1: Offer new money to government dependents to coerce them to live their lives as the government wishes.
Step 2: Withdraw or transfer old money from government dependents who refuse to live their lives as the government wishes.
Step 3: Insist on equal protection for the people not yet coerced into the government protective regulations.
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