Posted on 08/15/2009 3:18:18 PM PDT by TennesseeGirl
ScienceDaily (Aug. 15, 2009) — New UC Davis estimates say the federal government's "Cash for Clunkers" program is paying at least 10 times the "sticker price" to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide.
While carbon credits are projected to sell in the U.S. for about $28 per ton (today's price in Europe was $20), even the best-case calculation of the cost of the clunkers rebate is $237 per ton, said UC Davis transportation economist Christopher Knittel...
...That suggests the Cash for Clunkers program is an expensive way to reduce carbon."
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
What’s carbon got to do with it? It’s payback to the UAW, plain and simple.
It’s an expensive way to get rid of one of America’s dreams and that is to own a good car; and to put us in Yugos.
Like a muscle car. Yeah with a V-8 engine.
This socialist program has nothing to do with cost. It’s another tactic to exert more control over the people.
A muscle car in reasonable shape will sell for better than the CARS credit.
That's what I don't get. I drive a car with excellent MPG, but it doesn't do all that well in city driving. A lot of these cars that are being traded in as clunkers still have life in them. The people are trading them in for a new car, which means payments.
This is a good deal....for the banks, the car companies, and meeting federal policy of cutting fuel consumption overall. But for the average owner, I'm not so sure. They might've done better picking up something for slightly more than $3500, to beat the clunker payback. Or, if their car has a few years in it, just drive it as long as possible.
I was telling my husband that 6 months down the road, the repo man is going to be verrry busy. Some people who are allowed to get these car loans are skating on thin ice already and will be hurting when the dominoes fall this winter.
Can I opt for the corporate $20 per ton instead of the tobacco taxes I currently pay as an individual smoker?
Do you live in Indiana? How much are taxes on a carton? Tennessee taxes $6.20 on a carton.
Yep, I have seen some of the prices.
That's the other piece of it. There's probably some assumption that people will save enough gas to help with the payments....as I posted before, the savings isn't all that great in city/suburb driving.
A TV commentator (sometimes they go out of character and say something intelligent and relevant) poimted out that a lot of carowners used this program in the midwest, where winter can be fierce. Can't you just see these drivers in their fuel efficient cars in snowstorms, instead of their huge SUVs?
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