4 — Good News, etc. — July 2009 nc/sd
opinion
“A wise man will hear and increase in learning. And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel.”
– Proverbs 1:5 (NAS)
Buying grades? Incentives vs. Virtue
A
cross the country, school systems
are paying children to do better in
school. In New York, fourth and
BREAK
seventh graders can get up to $500 for
improving their scores on the city’s math POINT
and English tests. Schools in Georgia pay
eighth and 11th graders $8 an hour to attend
CHARLES COLSON
an after-school learning program.
You would think that, given what’s at
stake, doing well at school would be its own an approach, by the way, that is favored
reward. But, increasingly, both inside and by a “number of high-level appointees” in
outside the classroom, striving for virtue is the Obama administration.
being replaced by monetary incentives. While basing policy on human beings as
As one principal told USA Today, he is they actually are is certainly preferable to
“trying lots of different incentives for doing basing them on rational “economic men”
the right thing.” “Incentives” include iPods that exist only in economists’ imaginations
for attending Saturday study sessions and (you can count me among the critics on
a flat-screen television for making the all that one).
“A” honor roll. It doesn’t surprise me that these “nudges”
Many critics prefer the word “bribe” to can have a short-term positive effect. But
“incentive.” One compared the practice it’s difficult to imagine these programs
to giving athletes steroids: “Short-term making a long-term difference.
Letters to t
he editor
performance might improve but the long- On the contrary, the “long term damage”
term effects can be very damaging.” mentioned earlier may very well include
Damaging or not, paying people to do creating a generation of people for whom
State court made right choice Escondido safe
what they should already be doing isn’t incentives will become a necessity, not a
The recent rulings of the California I am so very encouraged in our rule of
going away. Greensboro, North Carolina, nudge.
Supreme Court (May 26) upholding law in Escondido after seeing the report
is paying teenage mothers $1 for every day To put it in Christian terms, incentives
the citizens right to ban “gay marriage” given by Police Chief Maher at a recent
they are not pregnant. Like paying students will replace virtue. Instead of doing the
(Proposition 8) is most welcome. City Council meeting showing the success
to improve their grades and test scores, right or prudent thing because it’s what
The Holy Scripture states that marriage of the drop in crimes in Escondido.
paying teen mothers to not get pregnant a moral person does, people will do what
is only between a man and a woman and After the report, young Councilwoman
appears to be having the desired affect. they do because they get something out of
so with the California Constitution. Both Diaz exhibited a prolonged interrogation
The core ideas in these kinds of it. This doesn’t build character—it builds
the Divine Law and the human-made law of the gracious police chief with a series
programs come from a new field known calculators.
are in favor of traditional marriage. of requests and demands in an effort to
as “behavioral economics.” Classical What’s more, in the real world, people
The government is established for the scrutinize the procedure of checkpoints.
economics assumes that people are rational don’t always reward you for doing the
good of the people and all governmental Kudos go to City Manager Phillips for
and act in accordance with their best right thing. But there are still consequences
powers reside from the people. “This is a the civics lesson reminding us all and
interests. Behavioral economics knows for behaving foolishly. How will people
government of the people, by the people informing those that don’t know how
that, in the real world, people make bad raised on a steady diet of nudges avoid
and for the people.” Twice the people of the sequence in city staff procedures, etc.
and even self-destructive choices all the these pitfalls?
California have decided that marriage in are sometimes handled through the City
time. The answer is that many won’t avoid
this state should be only between a man Council as a whole. This curtails power
The goal of behavioral economics is to them because they never learned that, for
and a woman. grabs and tyrannical behavior, instead
identify the “dizzying array of human the virtuous person, doing the right thing
As a Californian, I am pleased that Chief creating communication of an atmosphere
foibles” and help policy makers take them is incentive enough.
Justice of California, Robert M. George, with utmost respect in a teamwork effort
into account when shaping policy. ❏
penned the decision in favor of Proposition for the good of all.
In the case of incentive programs like the Chuck Colson is president of Prison
8 and sided with the people. Mayor Pfeiler, Chief Maher, council
ones I have described, it means “nudging” Fellowship, www.prisonfellowship.org.
Cresenciano I. Espino members Marie Waldron, Dick Daniels and
people to act in their own best interests. It’s Reprinted with permission.
San Diego Sam Abed demonstrated mature leadership
in their humble patient demeanor and
Bailout or sell-out?
efforts of clarity, reasoning and respectful
America’s ‘belief’ in God doesn’t fit
Who are we to bail General Motors verbal perspectives. I commend them
By MICHAEL SUOZZI
corruption. Gandhi tried to efface images
out of bankruptcy? Why are we bailing for doing a good job and applaud their
and records of sexual perversion displayed
AIG out from failure? Shouldn’t we call statements of support for our police.
Every so often, a research poll is released
in Hindu temples. He was trying to cover
this nonsense with bankrupt companies As Dennis Snyder concluded, it’s the law
saying 95%, or more, Americans “believe in
up the viciousness, but the world found out.
sell-outs? Are we living in “The Great and order that keeps the public safe.
God.” The media and the academics then
Gandhi, in this case, was a hypocrite.
Depreciation: The Selling of America”? Amen to that.
begin a two-day marathon discussing this
Believing in God does not necessarily
Clinton Wolford Mary Calgaro
finding. The real silliness of all this seems
lead to acting as God commanded.
Poway Escondido
to escape most of our people. Let me pat
America is a moral sewer. America is the
myself on the back: I believe in God.
headquarters for the production of 85%
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Outside of heaven itself, which person the great Northridge earthquake, the
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