Pay Me to Show Up

"Eighty percent of success is just showing up." Woody Allen

I just read a headline in the NY Times that there are some schools rewarding perfect attendance with iPods and even cars.

Just when did THIS happen? When is "showing up" consider a rewardable activity?
If that's the case, then I would like a car because I've had perfect attendance at work. Where does this rewarded behavior that was once taken as a given - "supposed to do behavior" - where does it end?

I propose the following:
Let's give a President 500K a year upon retirement if he doesn't invade another country and cause the deaths of many civilians and Americans.
Let's give the president of a company a golden parachute ONLY if he moves that company forward AND rewards his hard-working employees - and it's all done legally.
Let's give a husband the million dollars from his wife's life insurance if he DOESN'T kill her.
Oh, hell - let's go all the way:
Let's give every drug dealer 10K for every other drug dealer they DON'T shoot.

When did good behavior, acceptable behavior become the exception (to be rewarded) and not the rule (to be expected)?

Man - that mountain top cabin and hermit-like existence is looking better and better.