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Is it a good idea to give the poor cash rewards for things like graduating high school, going to the doctor and working full-time?
Of course it's worthwhile, if it's the only way to coerce people into helping themselves. Isn't it a sort of axiom that poor people would be more successful if they made better choices? The question is whether they recognize the more beneficial choices. Education, Education, Education.
-Jim, Tampa, Florida

Money for the poor because they graduate and get a job? No way. What a joke. I've heard it all now. These are things people should do. -Anonymous

Certainly there are two kinds of people who are poor: those who have suffered bad luck, either by birth or through circumstances beyond their control, and those who have made bad choices. This program may be able to help the latter group. And it certainly cannot hurt the former. People naturally respond to incentives. If healthy children and better prospects for life do not provide enough incentives, maybe money will. -K., Carmel, Indiana

No, no, no. We expect so little of the population; good behavior should be expected not rewarded. This is the problem there is no standard to rise to! -Sheela, Las Vegas, Nevada

I can't believe this. I live in NYC, home to many of the crummiest schools in the US. I struggled to get my boys through school. I sat with them for hours doing homework and projects. But this is beside the point. This is nothing more than organized bribery. Where is self respect? Where is pride? -Linda, New York

Should U.S. combat troops in Iraq be given one month off for every three months they spend fighting?
As a soldier who has been deployed to Iraq twice and is preparing for a third deployment, I believe that having one month off for every three months deployed would be detrimental to our mission. For the most part, soldiers have plenty of time to themselves between missions. More time off would encourage complacency, and due to the rapidly changing environment in Iraq, would cause soldiers to be unprepared for the missions they would be assigned to after their time off. -Daniel

Enough with all this nonsense. Bring them home where they belong. -Wesley, Somerville, Massachusetts

Jack, You can tell when people who have never been in combat, or Iraq for that matter, come up with ideas on helping troops. To help veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is simple: shorten the deployments to six months. It only takes one attack, and seeing your buddy die in your arms to develop PTSD for life. If troops got to go home earlier and deal with trauma, maybe the PTSD would not ingrain itself in the veterans. -Roy

I wholeheartedly agree that the troops should be given time off from the stress of trying to stay alive. If it takes a month to do that, so be it. It is unforgivable that our government asks our men to be there as long as they do. -Elsie, Waynesboro, Tennessee

Did Rudy Giuliani make a mistake by quitting the Iraq Study Group panel?
Yes, he certainly made a mistake, and I'm so happy that you have brought it to our attention. My opinion of Rudy Giuliani keeps going down the more I listen to him, or hear other facts like this about him. Thank you for making the picture clearer. -Lynne, Fort Mohave, Arizona

He simply made a rational Republican decision on public vs. self service. -Pete, Arkansas

Jack, Of course Giuliani made a huge and unforgivable mistake by not attending vital Iraq Study Group meetings. It would be an even bigger mistake if we rewarded him by electing him to the highest office in the land. -Dorian, Austin, Texas

Of course not. He was undoubtedly tipped off that no one in the White House would pay any attention to their findings. -Nathan, New York