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Callers on the Mike McConnel show, paraphrase 3 callers: 1) I traded in my 04’ PT Cruiser with 75K which got 23 mpg for a 09 PT Cruiser that received 26 mpg. 2) My company shreds cars. We are shredding perfectly good autos. A relatively new Lincoln Continental with only 30k. The list goes on. Surely some one can use it. 3)Some cars we are shredding have not been disabled, (chemicals in the trans and engine causing them to ‘freeze’ ). They are like brand new and could be driven off the lot. What a waste of tax payer money. DUCKMAN
This is BS - 1) The PT Cruiser does not even come close to qualifying for the program, has to be 18 mpg or worse mileage. 2) A "relatively new" Lincoln with 30k is worth a lot more than $4500, why would you take that for it and why wouldn't the dealer talk you out of it if you were stupid enough to do that. Also I know someone who owns a car recycling business (junkyard) and he LOVES the program - he is getting paid to take the cars, he is allowed to strip many parts (no engine or drive train), and he does have extra paperwork to prove the cars are not used again. 3) Again- cars that are "brand new" being traded in - COMPLETE BS. I'm tired of people making up stories like this, have seen the same thing on news this morning. As much as I dislike Bam Bam, I don't see anything wrong with this program except for the overall using tax money for the "stimulus". This is one small part of that program that IS actually working. I have seen dealers complaining on TV that they don't have their money yet, too much paperwork, etc. The program has been running ONE WEEK, why the hell would they expect to have their money yet? I used the program (traded in a car with 280K and got 4500 toward a new Toyota). Yes, there was paperwork, and I'm sure that the dealers have even more than I saw, but everything I saw was to ensure fraud wasn't being committed - copies of registration certificates and insurance certificates needed, carfax reports run to ensure the car was never totaled, etc. Bottom line - these dealers that are bitching and moaning are still using the program (with very few exceptions) and the showrooms are packed with customers. These dealers are complaining all the way to the bank.

...everything I saw was to ensure fraud wasn't being committed

Sorry to break it to you AUH20, the ENTIRE program is a giant fraud. You are sucking up capital the rest of us have saved to put to use in other areas. Instead, that capital was robbed from us by the government to provide incentives to other people to go further into debt AND destroying a perfectly good asset at the same time. And if the government isn't taxing us to produce this money, then it is further enslaving our progeny with additional mountains of debt and higher inflation.

The government would have been better off having people dig ditches and fill them in again. At least that wouldn't destroy good assets. But that wouldn't have paid off the UAW and the ditch diggers union isn't a particularly strong voting bloc.

Our government is criminally insane.