Cash For Clunkers - Bad Idea (Atlanta: 2009, insurance, credit card)

[wc2005]

To be honest, I haven't tried to purchase a car under this program. That said, I have a couple of complaints to offer in hopes of some good discussion.

1. Unless you have bought a car under this program (even if you have) you should be upset that the government is using YOUR money to buy someone else a car. This is a classic example of wealth redistibution under the guise of a government program designed to "help".

2. Who do you think is really getting the money out of this deal? I'd argue that in most cases, it is the car dealers. If they suspect that you are going to get this money, you can bet that your price is closer to sticker price than you might otherwise be able to negotiate. So, the dealer sold you a car at a price higher than they might have otherwise sold it and the dealer got money from the government. You think you got a good deal because you got up to $4,500 "off".

Wake up America!

[perticusrex]

uhhhhh sounds POLITICAL to me

[SnappyBob]

I think somebody should take the credit card away from the government. Especially when me, my kids and my grandkids are going to have to make the payments....with interest.

[Dopo]

Did you say that about the $8000 tax credit for new homebuyers?
The people that you support wanted to give $15,000

Isakson (R) proposal passes senate: $15,000 credit for new homebuyers
Senator Johnny Isakson proposes legislation to encourage buyers
Georgia Senator Isakson finally wins support for $15,000 homebuyer tax credit

And the best one of all
Senate dilutes "Buy American" clause in stimulus, Oks tax break for homebuyers - Foxnews

[Chaka]

If it gets people to give up their gas guzzlers and buy more fuel efficient cars, Great!

(I bought my hybrid in 2004, so don't benefit - though I did get a $1500 tax credit at the time - but that's ok)

And I suspect dealers are just happy to sell anything, rather than having cars sit on their lots or closing down dealerships.

[TexasNick]

Originally Posted by Chaka

If it gets people to give up their gas guzzlers and buy more fuel efficient cars, Great!

Do you think, Chaka, that perhaps more people willa ctually be on the road DRIVING cars they otherwise woud've never have driven? Joe Blow down the street has 4 cars, and has a clunker. he sells the clunker he never drives and then now he has a brand new car. That's 5 cars on the street now. More traffic, more exhaust and more clunkers for the future.

I dunno, might be more harm than good.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by wc2005

To be honest, I haven't tried to purchase a car under this program. That said, I have a couple of complaints to offer in hopes of some good discussion.

1. Unless you have bought a car under this program (even if you have) you should be upset that the government is using YOUR money to buy someone else a car. This is a classic example of wealth redistibution under the guise of a government program designed to "help".

2. Who do you think is really getting the money out of this deal? I'd argue that in most cases, it is the car dealers. If they suspect that you are going to get this money, you can bet that your price is closer to sticker price than you might otherwise be able to negotiate. So, the dealer sold you a car at a price higher than they might have otherwise sold it and the dealer got money from the government. You think you got a good deal because you got up to $4,500 "off".

Wake up America!

I could apply your logic to other government programs:

The $8,000 credit for first time home buyers. Why should I help you buy a house? No one helped me on this.

Child Tax Credit of $1,000. Once again, why should I have to help pay for your children? I didn't get this when we had kids.

Earned Income Credit. Why should I have to pay for someone to get more money from the government than they paid in? That's not an income tax, it's an income gift.

Large banks and insurance company bailouts. Why should I have to pay to get them out of trouble and they turn around and give huge bonuses to their employees?

Do you see where I'm coming from? This program is basically no different.

[Dopo]

Originally Posted by Steel Man

I could apply your logic to other government programs

I didn't want to bring this up...
but I've heard that our tax money have built some pretty nice schools and roads in other countries.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by Dopo

I didn't want to bring this up...
but I've heard that our tax money have built some pretty nice schools and roads in other countries.

Don't remind me...we're still paying for nice schools here in the Northside School District!

[GWhopper]

Originally Posted by TexasNick

Do you think, Chaka, that perhaps more people willa ctually be on the road DRIVING cars they otherwise woud've never have driven? Joe Blow down the street has 4 cars, and has a clunker. he sells the clunker he never drives and then now he has a brand new car. That's 5 cars on the street now. More traffic, more exhaust and more clunkers for the future.

I dunno, might be more harm than good.

There will always be people who take advantage of the system. Most people, though, only own one car per head, and if they own a gas guzzler, this program is all the better.

As for the redisturbution of wealth, we subsidize farmers to not grow crops and gave over $8 billion of subsidies to oil companies last year, even though they posted record profits. The government has been in the business of redistributing wealth for quite some time. It's just a matter of to whom they redistribute the wealth to.