Nepal Will Pay You to Marry a Widow

Now here's a stimulus plan Obama might consider copying with a variation or two.

Nepal recently passed a law to pay men a $650 bounty to marry one of the country's many widows (what's killing off their husbands?).

Women, especially widows, didn't like the measure too much and took to the streets of the capital of Kathmandu (I love that name) to protest. Protestors carried signs that read, "You can't sell your mother" and "We don't want government dowries."

Rightfully sensing that the payment scheme would turn the men into rats who'd take the money and run after marrying them, the widows instead demanded jobs, education and health care.

A sensible demand, I'd say.

However, we could easily apply this idea to the U.S. and pay working men and women to marry unemployed men and women (I'm speaking only of heterosexual unions here, but in some states, same-sex could be subject to the subsidy as well).

Or how about a subsidy to marry the unmarriable (or is it un-marry-able?).

Now, let's stretch it a bit more: If you can trade in clunkers for cash, how about unwanted spouses for cash?

That last one gets my vote.