Thanks, Glenn - for speaking the truth. You're not really the only one saying so -- but so many others who have said so have been cancelled by the PC cancel culture/ Woke religion.
Maybe a targeted gov't program could work, by giving gov't rewards to those who "live good lives" in areas where so many are not.
1) In school districts ranked by # of kids with married parents, the married parents, with 1 or more children, could get some $1000/yr plus $100 * #years married as a gov't reward. So a couple, married for 8 years with a child, would get a Marriage Gift of $(1000 + 800). Those at the bottom would get the full 100% gift; at around the 30% non-married parent level the gift amount would go down 5% for each 1% level. At the 50% non-married parent level the gift would be 0; at the 40% level the gift would be half (50% of $1800 = $900).
The market already rewards good behavior, some. Most gov't programs based on "need" end up in the moral hazard area of supporting the victims of their, or their parents, bad choices. Rewarding bad choices means more bad choices are made.
Of course, when bad choices result in bad outcomes, there is a bigger "need" - somebody has to pay for the mistake. (No free lunch). The Marriage Gift idea is to reward those making good choices, so as to encourage more good choices.
America needs more kids with married parents. A subsidy for those making the good decisions but living among those making sub-optimal decisions could help. This is a carrot incentive; reality already has enough sticks, at least relatively.
Thanks, Glenn - for speaking the truth. You're not really the only one saying so -- but so many others who have said so have been cancelled by the PC cancel culture/ Woke religion.
Maybe a targeted gov't program could work, by giving gov't rewards to those who "live good lives" in areas where so many are not.
1) In school districts ranked by # of kids with married parents, the married parents, with 1 or more children, could get some $1000/yr plus $100 * #years married as a gov't reward. So a couple, married for 8 years with a child, would get a Marriage Gift of $(1000 + 800). Those at the bottom would get the full 100% gift; at around the 30% non-married parent level the gift amount would go down 5% for each 1% level. At the 50% non-married parent level the gift would be 0; at the 40% level the gift would be half (50% of $1800 = $900).
The market already rewards good behavior, some. Most gov't programs based on "need" end up in the moral hazard area of supporting the victims of their, or their parents, bad choices. Rewarding bad choices means more bad choices are made.
Of course, when bad choices result in bad outcomes, there is a bigger "need" - somebody has to pay for the mistake. (No free lunch). The Marriage Gift idea is to reward those making good choices, so as to encourage more good choices.
America needs more kids with married parents. A subsidy for those making the good decisions but living among those making sub-optimal decisions could help. This is a carrot incentive; reality already has enough sticks, at least relatively.