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I recently received two letters from my landlord, which have reminded me that if you want to accomplish social goals there is nothing like having the law as an incentive.

The first letter was a “second notice” that I had “failed to return the Annual Window Guard Notice form previously sent you…failure to complete and return this form will result in your apartment being inspected by Management…” I usually return the form immediately but was in the hospital when I received it initially. I quickly sent the form back, in part because I’m responsible and in part because it’s the law. The other letter from my landlord was a copy of my apartment building floor’s Fire Safety Plan. The fact that these in the law offers an incentive for the landlord and in turn the tenant to follow them.

I mention these letters because they are just more examples of how government uses either sticks or carrots to accomplish social objectives. I am not in favor of making citizen preparedness part of the law, but as readers know I do favor using carrots. Without using either, it is not surprising that our public readiness numbers are so low.