Cash for Clunkers

[Prodigal_Son]

So many times I tell my husband that I can't wait for our Lord to return and the millennium to start, but I know there is still a lot of work to do and things that still need to happen before Jesus can return.

Don't you worry. Congress is working double-time to usher in the Millenium.

[Palerider]

Hear Hear! Even the poor without a car would appreciate a running clunker.

Does it really stimulate the economy to have Democrats buying new Toyotas and less affluent Republicans buying smaller engine Mercedes?

:)

I am trying to picture the Kennedy's and Biden and "Sheets" Byrd driving a Toyota....:lol:

[beefche]

Can someone please post the pros of this program? I honestly don't know what they would be.

(and if you can say that first sentence 7 times fast, you'll get an additional $4500 for a clunker!)

[Palerider]

Can someone please post the pros of this program? I honestly don't know what they would be.

(and if you can say that first sentence 7 times fast, you'll get an additional $4500 for a clunker!)

I am quite sure there are some people driving around in a new car that needed one....:)

[beefche]

I know of at least one person it has been a blessing.

But I mean in more general terms. I'm sure the car destroying business has had an increase in work/income. What else?

[Maxel]

Can someone please post the pros of this program? I honestly don't know what they would be.

(and if you can say that first sentence 7 times fast, you'll get an additional $4500 for a clunker!)

I said the first sentence 7 times fast, perfectly. Where's my $4,500 dollars?

[KrazyKay]

The one and only positive/pro I can see of this program is the short term (meaning 6 months or less) boost to just the car industry. But as for the economy as a whole, nope, can't see a single positive/pro of this program.

[Maxel]

The one and only positive/pro I can see of this program is the short term (meaning 6 months or less) boost to just the car industry. But as for the economy as a whole, nope, can't see a single positive/pro of this program.

Exactly, and that's the name of the game with this administration- positive short-term forecasts, but heaven forbid anyone look through the lens of reality and try to see the long term consequences.

[skalenfehl]

I wonder if maybe the US guv'ment is wanting to redirect some of that money back to it's own dealership: GM. What irony that only one GM vehicle made the top ten list of cars bought through this program and came in at #10!! Come on, GM!! You're being subsidized and you still can't get it right??

Cash for Clunkers Car list: Top Ten Clunker Buys - International Business Times -

This program is a joke. It eliminates, it wastes and does not recycle. I know there are environmentalists just pulling their hair out right now. And more impoverished people and students who could benefit from seeking and purchasing clunkers to get by will be out of luck.

[prisonchaplain]

OK, confession time. I was excited about this program for the selfish reason that I thought my '92 Buick LeSabre was the poster child for clunkers. Although I didn't necessarily support the "big picture" program, I was not enough agin it to feel hypocritical about attempting to cash in. What the pros should have been:

1. Raw stimulus for car industry.

2. Get some gas guzzling clunkers off the road, thus allowing for overall modernization of the American fleet.

3. Provide a loud, guady program to encourage Americans that government is doing something, hopefully stimulating the economy in general (I can buy 'cause stuff's getting done).

4. An indirect tax cut for the middle class--poor couldn't afford the new car, and rich would qualify for the limitations.

5. If I had qualified, we would have gone for a Toyata Camry Hybrid, which is a greener car. Most people who want the whole $4500 will be looking for cars in the mid-20s mpg and up. So, while negligible, this will have a mild dampening effect on demand for gas.

Like I said...still think this program was rushed, and will not offer $3 billion worth of benefits. The above are probably are true...but the benefits will be pennies on the dollar. But, if you want what's good, I suppose the above's it.

[Just_A_Guy]

Slightly off-topic, but I didn't want to open a new thread just for this:

GM gets out from under its polluted sites scot-free

There are advantages to being a government entity. One of them is that the law doesn't apply to you.

[boyando]

I wonder if maybe the US guv'ment is wanting to redirect some of that money back to it's own dealership: GM. What irony that only one GM vehicle made the top ten list of cars bought through this program and came in at #10!! Come on, GM!! You're being subsidized and you still can't get it right??

Cash for Clunkers Car list: Top Ten Clunker Buys - International Business Times -

This program is a joke. It eliminates, it wastes and does not recycle. I know there are environmentalists just pulling their hair out right now. And more impoverished people and students who could benefit from seeking and purchasing clunkers to get by will be out of luck.

(sarcasm) I think that we all should just trust our leaders. They know what they are doing.

[pam]

And more impoverished people and students who could benefit from seeking and purchasing clunkers to get by will be out of luck.

Then they better be putting more money into better transportation systems all over because that's what those mentioned will have to rely on more and more.

[beefche]

Slightly off-topic, but I didn't want to open a new thread just for this:

GM gets out from under its polluted sites scot-free

There are advantages to being a government entity. One of them is that the law doesn't apply to you.

Wow...it pays to be owned by government, doesn't it?

[Prodigal_Son]

Wow...it pays to be owned by government, doesn't it?

We'll all have first hand experience with that soon enough.

[prisonchaplain]

Then they better be putting more money into better transportation systems all over because that's what those mentioned will have to rely on more and more.

No need for all that. I've got a '92 Buick LeSabre that gets 19 mpg combined average, I'd be willing to sell them for a song. My guess is that there are still plenty of us 19 mpg+ vehicle owners with vehicles to off-load.

[Prodigal_Son]

No need for all that. I've got a '92 Buick LeSabre that gets 19 mpg combined average, I'd be willing to sell them for a song. My guess is that there are still plenty of us 19 mpg+ vehicle owners with vehicles to off-load.

At least you get 19! All my vehicles get about 2/3 of that!

[MorningStar]

I can't believe we're paying the salary of whoever came up with this dumb idea. It seems every problem we have right now in America, they're just throwing money at it.

[Prodigal_Son]

I can't believe we're paying the salary of whoever came up with this dumb idea. It seems every problem we have right now in America, they're just throwing money at it.

Maybe if Congress has to personally fund things, they'll be a bit more scrupulous.

[MorningStar]

I'm wondering if Congress will get a cut in pay like so many Americans? Doubtful.

[Palerider]

I'm wondering if Congress will get a cut in pay like so many Americans? Doubtful.

Earlier this year they were trying to give themselves a raise and I believe they got it.

Congress Doesn’t Vote, Gets a Pay Raise | Cato @ Liberty

[prisonchaplain]

At least you get 19! All my vehicles get about 2/3 of that!

You're missing my point. 18 mpg and less qualifies for Cash for Clunkers. 19 and above, and you get to join me in being a new source for cheap, unreliable, almost-gas-guzzlers.

[Prodigal_Son]

You're missing my point. 18 mpg and less qualifies for Cash for Clunkers. 19 and above, and you get to join me in being a new source for cheap, unreliable, almost-gas-guzzlers.

I didn't miss the point. Rather, I was comforting you in your sorrows.

[Guest]

PC, thanks for putting in a pro. At least it was something. I was trying to understand what the general population think of this program that all the media are so happy about. "The resounding success of the Cash for Clunkers...", "Look, the car industry is on the rise... because of the Cash for Clunkers...", etc. etc. There has got to be people enjoying $4B of good out there, yes? But even after opening my mind up so wide the roaches are entering... I still can't see whatever reason it was that brought this Congress to pass this bill besides a big salute to the "anti greenhouse-gases-caused-by-big-SUVs" people. I mean, it's not even a help-the-poor thing which seems to be the litany of Congress lately.

Slightly off-topic... Giving this administration the full benefit of the doubt... I sometimes wonder if this indebtedness syndrome of the current administration may be greatly influenced by a young President who grew up in the height of the credit culture. Of course, past administrations put this country in debt as well, but it seems like this administration actually look at it as a good thing. This made me go "hmmm" during the bail-out period when the first order of business in answer to the crisis was to free up banks to issue more loans. Thinking of it some more, a lot, if not the majority, of the young families in their 30's and younger... cannot imagine a life without credit cards. I, for one, am a credit card carrying shopper. If not for my fiscally mindful husband, my financial picture would be a miniature replica of the national financial position. So, I can imagine how President Obama would think of debt beyond standard operating procedure and onto "the stuff good things are made of" - not as a means to control the population, but truly because that's what he knows. Thoughts?

A lot of people mentioned Hitler in this thread. I see your point as I have drawn parallels between Obama and Marcos myself. But, I have to say, Obama is not the one creating bills - all these things happening is a result of Congressional actions. So, even if Obama has some dictatorial tendencies, I highly doubt he will succeed unless Congress gives it to him in a silver platter.

[Hemidakota]

I tried to do a search for this but I couldn't find one... maybe because my brain is not working today...

All I'm looking for is a pro and con debate on it.

Please stay away from Republican versus Democrat bashing, liberal versus conservative bashing, Bush versus Obama bashing, or what have you...

Just plain pro and con, for example...

I think spending a dollar on the Cash for Clunkers program is a bad idea, let alone $4 Billion. Then list your reason as it touches a.) economy, b.) environment, c.) taxes, d.) etc.

What type of vehicle are you driving and which vehicle are you looking to purchase?