re: #751 jcm

My question is why is the Federal Government using taxpayers money to buy clunkers in the first place? And don’t give me the bullshit “it’s for the environment” answer. It was tacked onto a military appropriations bill, and who’s gonna’ vote against supporting the troops. How much of the $1B is overhead? How many cars is it really going to get off the road?

It’s just another feel good, boondoggle, a great deal of sound and fury with little to show for it. If you split the difference the average cost per clunker is $4000, that means they’ll get 250,000 cars, the actual number will be far less because of the overhead and inefficiencies inheritance with any Federal program. Best case this program would remove less than of 1% of cars from the road.

A billion here, a billion there pretty soon you are talking real money.

91,000 million to run the program, 200-250 thousand fuel efficient cars sold saving some oil, maybe kick starting car sales. The billion dollar direct rebate seems to work better then the bailouts or other programs. The GOP should use the success of the program to show how putting tax money directly in the public’s hands is the best way to stimulate the economy.
Between deficits and unfunded mandates we have $63,000,000,000,000.00 in liabilities in this country, $210,000 for every man woman and child in the country.

*spit*