Incentives and Disincentives

There's a lot of complaining that goes on in school. The teachers complain, the kids complain, the parents complain, I complain (there is an abundance of evidence on this blog particularly), everyone complains. I suppose that is the way it is anywhere with people, as long as they have the freedom to do so. And complaining is fine, if, when it reaches a loud enough volume, something is done: either the complainers shut up, or the problem that they are complaining about gets solved.
OK, so you can stop holding your breath--I'm not going to shut up. But today, I am going to offer some solutions to some of the most glaring problems our country faces in this time of economic distress.
Economists are big fans of incentives--financial or other benefits for the exibition of a particular desired behavior. I believe that many of the situations we find ourselves in now could be solved by simply implementing the proper incentive, or disincentive. For example, our students are not acheiving to the levels we need them be at in school--this has to do with lack of effort on the student's part, parents that are not helping their kids, and/or teachers that are poor or not trying. Why not create an incentive for performance? If a kid goes to school and does not try or show effort, and fails more than half of his/her classes, we fine the parents $1000 for wasting the taxpayer's money OR they get to work off their fees by joining the military. And if a teacher fails to show improvement during observations and their students do not show gains on a district approved pre and post test for that course, they do not advance on the pay scale for the next year...if they do show improvement, instead of going up the usual one year on the scale, they advance two years.
With illegal immigration, simply pass a law with a 10 year jail sentence for those who hire illegal immigrants. A strong jail sentence works with this kind of crime, because employers are rational people; in fact, that is precisely why they hire illegal immigrants in the first place--because it is cheaper. Pass a law that strongly punishes the hiring of illegals, publicize it, and pull off a couple of high profile stings every so often. No fence needed.
And look, as far as tax revenue is concerned, why not kill two birds with one stone and legalize marijuana? That way, you can tax the living day lights out of it, and you don't have to spend the money to police, prosecute, and imprison the people that use it.
Finally, can we please just go ahead and do single payer health care by putting everyone on medicare? It would be so much more efficient than having privatized health care. Competition in the case of health care, has failed--and if you still think competition is so great for areas of our economy that are essential to life, you are an idiot, you are wrong, and you may as well believe in unicorns and pixies, because the logic behind that argument is pure fantasy. It's like so many other things conservatives believe in--good rhetoric, but ridiculous when examined with any rational scrutiny.
What I really don't understand is why Obama hasn't done some of these things? I voted for change damnit!