Today’s news had an article on how the nearly 700,000 vehicles in this program have clogged the recycling scrap yards. See "Cash for Clunkers trade-ins piling up".
With the typical blatant liberal hypocrisy of the left, the “Cash for Clunkers” program, though promoted as an enormous success, at the most gave a temporary blip on the sales charts of the automakers and big financial corporations, and at worst increased the national debt by many more billions. What it did for the working poor and lower middle class is criminal.
Many of these “clunkers” (and I believe most of them”) were simply trade-ins that were worth less than the $4,500 the government paid for them, giving mostly the upper middle class a huge welfare payment for possible future votes.
Why do I say this is an assault on the Working Poor?
These are the people that try to get a piece of the American dream by getting to work each day. This program has just made it more difficult for tens of thousands of them.
Because so many vehicles were removed from the market, the starting price for most low end cars is approximately $6,000. Many of these people will have to do without other essentials just to be able to afford transportation, or may not be able to get a car at all.
This reminds me so much of the “English as a second language” propaganda. I have said for thirty years that this is just another way to keep the poor, mostly immigrants, as third class citizens, and hopefully liberal voters. If a person learns English, it is much more difficult to keep them down to do the dirty work of the country. Again this is the blatant liberal hypocrisy at work.
To say that this car program helped the environment in any meaningful way adds insult to injury.
Wake up people and bury liberalism in the past where it belongs before it is too late. People should be treated equally no matter what class structure they were born too. I know this is too conservative of an idea for liberals, but that’s too darn bad.
The Hammer
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 25
I never thought of English as a second language that way either, your right. I just thought that if you wanted to live in america you should speek this language.
But who really cares about the poor in our country anyways?? The mentality of "what can they do for me" is just not there. We know the poor can not do anything, they just do not matter. Little sarcasm there, after this whole mess is cleaned up, that is the economics. We will see the classes separated more then we have seen in a very long time!
This as you said just hurts the poor more!
The vast bulk of the average trade-ins were junk. Remember to qualify they had to be high gas consumption and worth less than $3500 to $4500 trade value.
Of course, you'd rather deprive Americans of reasonably priced health care.
Great way to parrot those frightwing talking points though.
First of all, car supply and demand is largely a local phenomenon. Your statement that "Because so many vehicles were removed from the market, the starting price for most low end cars is approximately $6,000. " might be true in your area, but it isn't a nationwide figure. A car that was worth $1500 isn't going to magically elevate in cost to $6000 because of cash for clunkers. I recently bought a $6000 car with a Blue Book value of (surprise! ) $7000!
Second, most low end cars didn't even qualify for the program. There's still a tremendous amount of sub $6000 cars on the market. I could go out an buy 50 $2000 cars today, if I had the time, money and inclination. There are at least that many low ends lots around here.
Try again. This didn't even make sense.
I'm sure you did get a blue book of $7000 for $6000, but that is no big deal. How about a decent car for $4000? $3000? Have you seen pictures and films of these cars? There were a lot of nice ones and many were not that old.
Why destroy them? Why not use them for parts? Isn't this wasteful and counterproductive for recycling?
So yes, the government dropped 2 billion and generated easily 10 times that much in short and long term value. We could have bought an aircraft carrier, or a dozen new F-22 Raptors that nobody wants or any other combination of RW bullshit. Personally the numbers on CFC look fine.
At least 50% of used car transactions don't even happen from dealers, they happen individual to individual.
The cars, as you said, are still out there. Just look at Craigslist.
I think a lot of these cars turned in, should have been put up for sale as such at lower prices and/or even donated to the veterans, battered women and other people who are trying to make something of themselves. This is not socialism, it would be up to the free choice of the dealers and other concerned if they feel that way in their own hearts.
Cash for Clunkers is a criminal idea.
I don't care who would get them.
I have 2 brothers in the car biz, one a salesman, and one a mechanic, and they report nothing of the kind-- salesman lives in florida, and mechanic lives in nebraska.....