Welfare / Norplant

["Peter Trei" <trei@process.com>]

Several years ago I came up with a little variation on the
Welfare Mother problem which I thought was a lot more
palatable.

Offer a 'birthday present' program, under which *any*
female over the age of 11 who has not yet had a child or become
pregnant, on her birthday, gets a cash award. The award should
be high enough to encourage participation; $250 seems about
right. A woman who can deliberatly turn down a $250 lump sum 
every year for the rest of her life is almost certainly able
to afford to raise a child.

This scheme:

* Is entirely voluntary; no one has to use contraceptives, 
  stay off welfare, or anything else.

* Targets young women who would be likely to become 'welfare
  mothers'. The parents of such young women would be highly
  motivated to have their dependent daughters participate.

I haven't worked out the costs, but suspect that the net 
savings would be quite substantial.

Peter Trei
trei@Process.com

Disclaimer: The above is my personal opinion. I dont suggest that
any other person or oganization shares it.