'Cash for Clunkers' May Be Out of Gas

Associated Press ^ | July 31, 2009 | KEN THOMAS

[libstripper]

WASHINGTON (July 31) — The government's popular "cash for clunkers" program may be running out of money after only a matter of days as car shoppers flock to dealerships to take advantage of the rebates.

[libstripper]

"Cash for clunkers" is really a bad idea because it hits the working poor who need reliable, inexpensive transportation in the solar plexus. The Government has, essentially, established a minimum price for every used car in the United States. Many used cars in the $1,000 to $4,500 price range provide reliable, economical transportation to their owners. All of those vehicles will be trashed for no good reason, with the taxpayers being forced to pay for them. Equally bad, engines, transmisions, and othe entirely functional parts of those vehicles will be destroyed in the process, creating shortages of the same, formerly economical, parts for other vehicles.

[Republic]

Seems to me that if GW had initiated a program like this, and it FAILED in three days because of improper planning and a definite lack of foresight into other problems or difficulties it might place on the poor, THE PRESS WOULD HAVE BEEN SLAMMING HIM FROM HERE TO HELL AND BACK.

I am SO SICK of the double standard I just wanna hurl.

[DonaldC]

So they stopped the idea because it was working? I think the long term effects of the program are bad, but at least it was getting buyers into showrooms.

[doodad]

So where did the billion dollars go?

[Mr. K]

let’s see... some idiot government bureaucrat decides ‘hey here’s a reely cool idea: Lets give people $4500 for their old stinky gas-guzzler and they will be nice new ‘green’ cars”

And all the other idiot government bureaucrats shake their heads so hard you can hear the rattling in the next room.

Then.. people STOP BUYING CARS- (waiting for the $4500, you know)

The market goes even FURTHER into the dumper.

Then all of a sudden everyone buys a car to get the $4500.

Demand is too high for one whole month then you RUN OUT OF MONEY AND CARS and throw the whole product managment grid off kilter.

Then people get mad that the $4500 RAN OUT AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS

Now... can ANYONE ELSE see why it is dumb to put idiot government bureaucrats in charge of running a private indistry?

[taxtruth]

Can you imagine how fast government will start bailing out of healthcare if we use this as just one example of what happens when government takes over?Government will never be a solution.

[Mr. K]

Sure they screwed this up, but they will do much better on health care!

[Ikemeister]

I tought they had set aside $9 billion for this program. Was the other $8 billion and handling fee for ACORN?

[freekitty]

I still don’t understand how people will be able to afford a new car period in this economy.

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Drudge has this up on his page. He quotes a car salesman who said (paraphrasing) ‘if the Government couldn’t run a program this simple...how can they run health care?’

I wish I could go buy a car from that guy.

Cash for Clunkers was an insane idea. Take obviously good, affordable transportation away from those who can only afford what they already own...and then, during a recession/depression...encourage these same people to take out loans for cars they won’t be able to afford!!! How ‘stupidly’ can one Administration act? (Don’t answer that...I know, I know...)

[ClearCase_guy]

I seem to recall a US Navy ship returning from Iraq with a banner reading "mission accomplished" and I recall President Bush getting a lot of heat for that. Meanwhile, Obama has a program which goes bankrupt in a mere four days, and it's just a big shrug by the media: "It was too successful".

Sheesh!

[mosaicwolf]

Somebody help me figure out where in the Constitution it gives the Federal Government the authority to take my money in the form of taxes and give it to someone else to by a new car? Looking forward to your help before I draft a letter to my Representative.

[all the best]

All government interference in the economy are childish attempts to cheat reality and, as such, are destined to fail.
Free markets are perfect representations of reality, in fact, reality itself and never fail. They may not deliver the results you wish for but they can’t fail. Reality can’t fail.
The adolescents in D.C. think that they can command reality to conform to their whims. Ain’t gonna happen.

[bigfootbob]

My thoughts exactly...lots of skimming off the top, I’m sure.

[rjsimmon]

Sure they screwed this up, but they will do much better on health care!

And:

• Social Security
• Medicare
• Prohibition
• Indian Affairs
• War on Drugs
• Immigration
• Education
• Environment
• Bosnia
• Sudan
• 7 Billion Dollar stimulus...
• Insert Government Program of Choice Here

[Uncle George]

This give-away scheme must have been lobbied into reality by the auto wreckers of America. millions of junkers to sell for scrap, paid for by our tax dollars.

[RckyRaCoCo]

Give it a few months and some REAL investigative reporting and the cash for clunkers will be exposed as a massive fraud magnet(UAW/dem slush fund, etc.).

You really can fool all of the people all of the time...just change the game every once in a while.

Forget all that, what's the latest on Michael Jackson??? /s

[stephenjohnbanker]

Can I trade in Obama? I’ll wave the rebate.

[kittymyrib]

CNBC hailed this as “a successful government program” this morning, and Mike Jackson of Auto Nation thought the car czar had come up with a brilliant idea.
Apparently, no one knew in the msm realizes that this program was copied from one that Germany initiated over a year ago and has been trying to get out of for months. But now, the German car buyer insists that the politicians keep the program going or they boycott auto showrooms. Knowing this crack-addict effect, BO and his czar still got it passed through the Democrat rubber-stamp Congress and in FOUR DAYS they have blown through the first billion taxpayer dollars. Let’s see how long this phony “recovery” lasts after the treasury can get no other nation to lend us money for our next fix.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

The federal government is a damn farce!