Worse than Welfare

On one hand I do think a program like this has a chance to accomplish its mission, if executed correctly, and with private funds that’s all gravy - as good a charity as any. Unfortunately the article says that "If the experiment is successful, officials plan to make it a government-financed program." But why the hell should I give money to the poor for doing something that directly and immediately benefits them? Why the hell should I pay some random person because they went to the doctor when they were sick? Bloomberg compares this extortionist program to performance related bonuses on the job, which you get because you helped the firm make more money than it could have without you. The company is simply giving you a piece of the pie you helped bake. I really don’t see how some chump holding down a job at Mickey D’s for a year is going to translate into a return on my investment.

clipped from www.nytimes.com Seeking new solutions to New York’s vexingly high poverty rates, the city is moving ahead with a bold antipoverty experiment that will pay poor families up to $5,000 a year to meet targets like exemplary school attendance, going for medical checkups or holding down a full-time job, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said today. The incentives, he said, would allow struggling families who are often focused on basic daily survival to make better long-term decisions. “In the private sector, financial incentives encourage actions that are good for the company: working harder, hitting sales targets or landing more clients,” Mr. Bloomberg said in making the announcement at a family services center in Brownsville, Brooklyn. “In the public sector, we believe that financial incentives will encourage actions that are good for the city and its families: higher attendance in schools, more parental involvement in education and better career skills.”