New York City to Reward Poor for Doing Right Thing

Does anyone else think this is lame? Why would we reward people for doing what they should be doing in the first place?

New York City to Reward Poor for Doing Right Thing - New York Times
The payments could range from $25 for exemplary attendance in elementary school to $300 for a high score on an important exam, city officials said.

The officials said the program was the first of its kind in the country.

The project, first announced in the fall. was scheduled to begin as a pilot program in September with 2,500 randomly selected families whose progress will be tracked against another 2,500 randomly selected families who will not get the rewards. Officials planned to draw the families from six of the poorest communities in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx.