Government Suspends 'Clunkers' Program (Do the same to Healthcare?)

WCBSTV ^ | 7/31/2009 | Lou Young

[Servant of the Cross]

Government Suspends 'Clunkers' Program

At Current Rate, Giving Out $3,500 Or $4,500 Per Vehicle Would Burn Through $1 Billion Allocated In No Time

NYC Car Dealers: How Could Obama Administration Mess This Up?

"Cash for Clunkers" came to a screeching halt Thursday, after only six days on the road.

In a shocker, the government announced it would suspend the program at midnight because demand was too great.

It may have been the best $1 billion the government has spent so far this year.

Business was humming at Crestmont Toyota/Volkswagen Thursday night as salespeople rushed back to work on news that the government's "Cash for Clunkers" program was being suspended.

It's the deal where you get up to $4,500 for your older low mileage beast if you buy a new car with more efficient fuel consumption.

On Thursday night we learned the program was only good until midnight, all because of a backlog of red tape. So the salespeople were trying to get their deals through the government's Web site.

"People are loving it. It's wonderful. It's a great stimulus package," salesman Andy Beloff said.

But when asked if the government was running the program well, Beloff said, "No. No." (snip)

"If they can't administer a program like this, I'd be a little concerned about my health insurance," car salesman Rob Bojaryn said.

[Servant of the Cross]

"If they can't administer a program like this, I'd be a little concerned about my health insurance," car salesman Rob Bojaryn said.

Rob the Car Salesman joins Joe the Plumber for stating the obvious about the Marxist One.

Just say NO to "Healthcare for Clunkers".

[bgill]

I can see it now. You've finally got the government convinced to give you the much needed surgery and about 15 minutes after they've sliced you open... oops, healthcare is yanked.

[newheart]

The ‘cash for Clunkers’ translation into the health care space would mean that you could turn your grandparents in for cash.

[bill1952]

>”People are loving it. It’s wonderful. It’s a great stimulus package,” salesman Andy Beloff said.

Sure - as long as you are taking other people’s money for it
no problem.

[Paladin2]

Health care for geezers ---> You turn in granny or gramps for destruction and you get a certificate to get your heart by-pass.

Health costs in total go down.

[originalbuckeye]

Amazing how quickly Zero can spend a billion dollars, isn't it?? I bet you all never received any of our (future) tax dollars in this short lived giveaway. Me, neither. But you can bet we will all be paying for it for years!

[envisio]

bookmark

This must be is so embarrassing. Its like a little fat kid tripping and falling in the lunchroom at school, spilling his tray everywhere.
Its funny as hell, but you feel bad for the guy. Still can’t help but laugh.

[gthog61]

Remember, the same people who couldn’t calculate the cost for this say they can tell you how much the govt takeover of 18% of the economy is going to cost.

[Paladin2]

"It may have been the best $1 billion the government has spent so far this year."

This is NOT the best $ billion ever spent.

My 1966 VW got ~30 mpg and they are giving $4500 so people can go buy a vehicle that gets 24 mpg?

[silverleaf]

Hey all you seniors and chronically sick people

Imagine obamacare’s “pain pills for clunkers”- running out of meds in 4 days

[Paladin2]

"This must be is so embarrassing."

GREAT POINT! ;-)

[Redleg Duke]

Back in 1990, the Government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, tried to run it. They failed and it closed.

Now we are trusting the economy of our country, our banking system, our auto industry and possibly our health plans to the same nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whore house and selling whiskey!"

[Brad from Tennessee]

This program was meant to be symbolic rather than a boon to car dealers. Obama will kill it if he thinks it is actually helping small business.

[rbg81]

The real “clunker” is the program. And, yes, this is what would happen to healthcare. They would say: “whoops, we underestimated—sorry!”. And then there would be three choices:
1. Ration procedures
2. Cut back on medical fees
3. Raise taxes (*** WINNER ***)

[envisio]

Lights out.

[C210N]

Its like a little fat kid tripping and falling in the lunchroom at school

I view it as being good by letting my neighbor's dogs in my house, and they go on a rampage spraying #1 all over, and #2 on my best rugs... with me in tow, cleaning up after this mess and that mess. And I just know when I finally get them out and clean up the messes, there will still be remnants of the stink for years to come.

[wayoverontheright]

A trillion dollars spent on public sector stimulus, which has done nothing for the economy, then one solitary billion aimed at the private sector causes a substantial increase in economic activity, and they suspend the program?

Aren't we seeing the validation of conservative fiscal policy versus bankrupt socialist policy-right before our eyes?

[browniexyz]

And just like what would happen with healthcare, organized crime took advantage of a chance to make a billion in a week...

[ProfoundMan]

Good observation. You should send it to Rush et.al. Be a good thing for our guys to bite on...

[Alberta's Child]

Damn. I would have been a perfect candidate for this "cash for clunkers" program. I have a 1994 SUV with 330,000+ miles on it, and it's getting to the point where I'm going to have to start thinking about replacing it. I've already got a bigger truck to begin with, so I'll probably be replacing the SUV with a mid-sized car.

They shut this thing down because there are too many people like me out there who were trading in pieces of junk that wouldn't even fetch $100 on the open market and barely worked anyway.