One of the things that is interesting about society is that we do reward merit, but often in informal ways. Someone pays less interest on loans if they have good credit, not because they *deserve* a lower rate but because the risk model says they are a lower risk and are more likely to repay the debt.
Someone more intelligent and hard working doesn?t get special consideration because they deserve it - but because people pay them for the value they generate.
In basically all ways, merit is rewarded through happenstance as opposed to specific policy. One could also argue that merit is actually penalized via public policy by subsidizing people who have made poor decisions and progressively taxing those who have made good decisions.
What would it look like if government actually decided to reward merit? Give specific benefits for people who have never been convicted of a crime? Rewarded people based on how they score on aptitude tests? Gave funds and rewards to those who helped prevent crime or saved someone drowning. Never filed for bankruptcy? Never defaulted? Avoided causing auto accidents?
As a libertarian minded person, my preferred government would not do this. But I don?t have my preferred government, if the state is going to put their thumb on the scale anyway - why not reward the best and most deserving of people instead of the worst?