Quote:
Originally Posted by Flame Of Liberty
Not really, I am as surprised as you are that I posted so often in this thread  I don't have an agenda here, US domestic policies don't affect me.
Well, the cycle continues if my idea doesn't work, and I don't think it has been proven it cannot work. Financial incentives are very powerful and very clear to see.
I've read (non-english source, so no link) that countries battling illiteracy in their population (or a part of their population) started taking away child support from parents who allowed their kids to bag school. School attendance skyrocketed immediately.
Well then I guess we disagree. I believe no one is entlitled to be supported anyway. Financial support is a priviledge, not a right. (cue in the entitled generation thread)
And let's not make it sound like this will cause child poverty of epic proportions in the US (western world). Parents in underdeveloped countries work for endless hours and yet their families enjoy standards of living well bellow American (Canadian, British, ...) knocked up prom queen.
I don't know if it automatically fixes things, but I think it does offer incentive to fix the problem by taking away a priviledge (not a right), rather than another endless "do this don't do this" talk to bored teens in a classroom. Do what you want, but you're on your own with the consequences of your actions. |
Actually it's only a 'financial incentive' if you're giving them something. Not if you're taking it away. Then you're just cold, lol.
incentive (noun) something that incites or tends to incite to action or greater effort,
as a reward offered for increased productivity.
Like the experiments they did with smokers who were pregnant (not saying it's a good idea, just using it as an example), giving them increasingly larger amounts with each week they were clean from smoke. It had a percentage of effectiveness in the high 80's. You're right, financial incentives DO work very well.
Unfortunately, I don't believe the opposite is true. And that's what you're proposing. Look at the States, they have a very high level of teen pregnancy with a very low level of support (on a Western world basis anyway).
Here's a site I found that has them ranked 1st per capita. Canada is ranked 9th and has less than half the rate. This kinda shoots your argument in the foot.
I guess we don't know what a country with NO assistance would look like, but less assistance isn't helping people make better choices. In fact, it does look like it's just adding to the cycle.
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph/he...ncy-per-capita
Not coming up with assistance is not a 'financial incentive'. Yes it's a financial decision, but incentives are pluses or rewards, not a system which is the status quo or removal of that system.
I completely get your libertarian take on not wanting to help (or at least not being forced to, which I assume is the real issue) people who made mistakes and while I don't agree with it, I understand it. We do want things to be fair, and we do want to keep our share of the pie especially if we have worked hard to get it and have not done things wrong that others have.
However I do think it's fairly foolish to assume it would really change the behaviour of teens (or people). It's just going to add to the problems and help the cycle.