If You Don't Go Bareback, They'll Give You A Greenback

That is the idea that some geniuses at the University of North Carolina are peddling. The University has unfurled a program called College Bound Sisters which is aimed at girls aged 12-18. The program will provide monetary compensation to all participants if they are able to follow two simple rules. Show up once a week for a 90-minute meeting to learn about safe sex, and don't get pregnant. Yea, you read that right. This program is going to pay little kids to not get knocked up. So what is the price of keeping these apparently parentless girls from accepting sexual deposits and investing in a 9-month baby brewing plan? That would be the whopping sum of $7 per week, deposited into an account for their college fund.

Is this genius or what? Setting aside ethics for a second I just want to point out that the average college cost for ONE year is $6,585. That means at $7 per day, kids would have to remain in this program for 18 years to pay for two semesters at a public college.

Ok, now back to the obvious stuff. Whose harebrained idea is it to pay kids to do what they are supposed to do in the first place? What ever happened to that silly little thing called parenting your children? Look. I dunno....maybe I'm a little out of touch...or maybe I'm just not stupid, but it seems to me that if parents spent a little more time actually raising their kids and teaching them about things like world culture, sex, tolerance, RESPONSIBILITY for your actions; and spent a little less time shrugging off these parental essentials so they can be their kids BFF's; then, perhaps, there wouldn't be room for such a nonsensical program.

Maybe I'm wrong here. Maybe we should incorporate this school of thought to get everyone to do what they are supposed to do. --DIGRESSION ALERT: by "do what they are supposed to do" I am not talking about things that can logically be debated like career paths, education options, religious beliefs, or cultural norms in countries other than my own. --

As I was saying, maybe we should start paying everyone to do what they are supposed to do:

"Hey there Mr. pedophile. Here's a dollar, don't touch that kid."

"DOPE MAN, DOPE MAN! I think that my good friend Abe Lincoln would want you to turn that stove off."

"Kids...will you do your homework? NO? Well, then how about for a nice crisp dollar bill?"

I know I am stretching this blog entry out like a pregnant teen's belly, but I think there is validity to what I'm saying. The logic behind a social program like this is completely flawed. I am all for the prevention of teen pregnancy, BELIEVE ME. I don't like seeing my tax dollars being wasted on the inconsideration and irresponsibility of others, but programs like this are ineffective and end up just wasting that much more money (which in this case equals $75,000 per year).

Lets stop constantly lowering the bar and start holding people responsible for their actions and the actions of their children.