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BS ‘n’ About…
Accomplishment Lotteries
Imagine a world where we were rewarded for the nice little things that we do that usually go unnoticed and unappreciated. Combined with incentive taxation, accomplishment lotteries would be a good way to provide us with financial incentive to be better people. The costs would be minimal and the beneficial results to society would be vast and far-reaching.
Start with some simple stuff: perfect school or work attendance, innovation box ideas, volunteer work, and charitable giving. Include the little things we do that make us good citizens: voting, recycling, good Samaritan acts, and political or community activism. Throw in some of the more important milestones we strive to achieve: 25 or 50 years at the same job, 25 or 50 years in the same marriage, paying off the mortgage, retiring, and graduating a kid from high school or college.
We should also be acknowledged for some of the great sacrifices we make like caring for a special needs child or Elderly parent. Certain whole professions should be included: teaching, social work, the armed forces, and rural doctors.
And don’t forget the kids: straight A’s, perfect attendance, learning an instrument, student government, sports, and GEDs.
And last, but not least, we can’t forget business owners and employers: creating jobs, providing healthcare, daycare, educational benefits, gym memberships, going green, and getting involved in the community.
The list of things we do that go unnoticed and unrewarded is virtually endless. The incentives we as a society can provide are limited only by our imaginations. While some of the above should be rewarded with big chunks of money, most should be rewarded at lesser cost in a way that shows appreciation for the specific accomplishment.
School accomplishments could be rewarded with scholarships and educational travel. Work accomplishments could be rewarded by sabbaticals, paid vacations, and work-related perks. Taking care of the sick and Elderly could be made easier by providing domestic work in the home. Use these suggestions as a starting point and let your imagination take you where it does.
Likewise, most of the costs of these rewards could be garnered by somehow penalizing its opposite, negative behavior in some way, much like the recycling cost for cans is reflected in their original sale price. State lotteries are proof that most of us are willing to contribute a little in the hope, even if it is miniscule, of great reward. We all love a game. Let’s turn ‘doing the right thing’ into a game that can be both fun and rewarding.
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