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Shelby may oppose the Cash for Clunkers program because taking a usable car and destroying it is pretty stupid (economically and ecologically). The program certainly doesn't help lower income people - who don't get to buy the used clunker car and can't afford a new car (Tax Cut For the RICH!!!). The program doesn't do much to stimulate the US economy - the new cars being bought are Japanese and Korean - with the debt financed by the Chinese to be repaid by our children.
The Govt is proving that it can't run the program (spending six months worth of funding in less than a week, confusing rules for dealers, etc).
Here's a National Review article to 'help you understand'.
Yep. The amount of energy and resources to build a new car is tremendous compared to any gas savings over even ten years. Ecologically, it is a disaster. Think those "clunkers" are going to be scrapped? Cummon...
As far as the people who really need a break buying a new car??? Yeah, right. Priorities for the day for someone with social security or working two jobs. Put food on the table, buy medicine, pay for healthcare costs, pay mortgage, buy a friggin new car? LOL!
This is another case of corporate welfare and welfare for the rich.
Shelby may oppose the Cash for Clunkers program because taking a usable car and destroying it is pretty stupid (economically and ecologically). The program certainly doesn't help lower income people - who don't get to buy the used clunker car and can't afford a new car (Tax Cut For the RICH!!!). The program doesn't do much to stimulate the US economy - the new cars being bought are Japanese and Korean - with the debt financed by the Chinese to be repaid by our children.
The Govt is proving that it can't run the program (spending six months worth of funding in less than a week, confusing rules for dealers, etc).
Here's a National Review article to 'help you understand'.
Well Shelby is well known to be against anything the Democratic administration comes up with so this is no surprise.
There are a few cars on the top ten list made in the US, the Ford Focus is number one on the list, the Ford Focus, the Dodge Caliber and the Chevrolet Cobalt are from our US manufacturers, the Toyota Camry is on the list, most likely made in the US. I believe the Prius and Honda Fit are the only autos for sure made outside North America. For sure all the auto are sold and serviced by US companies.
The program serves several purposes:
A, To assist stabilizing US jobs in the auto industry, assembly, parts manufacturing, the dealerships both sales and service.
B, To assist in reducing dependence on foreign oil by requiring certain gas mileage bench marks to qualify.
C, To improve emissions by taking the older technology off the road.
Unlike the foreclosure prevention legislation, this seems to be actually working. I would rather give 3 billion to this program than 700 billion to the greedy banks.
Just as a note, Shelby follows the direction of his campaign contributions, not the folks of Alabama.
As an environmental engineering professional some of the pictures that ran in our local paper, granted in Maryland, were environmentally & politically insane.
Some traded, fairly decent looking vehicles with apparently newer looking tires to be destroyed is in fact pretty stupid. The folks that could possibly benefit - lower income, students, etc. can not even attempt to purchase the traded clunker vehicle.
To top it off my wife works with a person that is considering trading in their 2005 Subaru Baja that the dealer stated qualifies as a "clunker" as it requires premium grade gasoline!!
I really don't get how that vehicle would qualify as a clunker under any program - my thoughts are sell it out right if you want out of it!!
But, apparently our government has an idea to bail out those who also might be the folks in home debt up to their eyeballs. All while we go off to work with a smile on our face...
BTW, didn't Senator Shelby take a stand against the AIG and bank bailouts?
The environmental benefits of the program are modest, at best. Many people with old cars probably would have upgraded to more fuel efficient ones in a year or two anyway. Probably the best way to reduce use of fossil fuel is the dreaded gas tax. That will reduce fuel consumption, raise money for the government, and send less money to countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, that don't like us much.
But cash for clunkers appeals to the typical quick fix mentality that Americans have become addicted to in the last generation.
Yep. The amount of energy and resources to build a new car is tremendous compared to any gas savings over even ten years. Ecologically, it is a disaster. Think those "clunkers" are going to be scrapped? Cummon...
As far as the people who really need a break buying a new car??? Yeah, right. Priorities for the day for someone with social security or working two jobs. Put food on the table, buy medicine, pay for healthcare costs, pay mortgage, buy a friggin new car? LOL!
This is another case of corporate welfare and welfare for the rich.
Where I come from rich people don't finance cars they pay cash for them. They don't trade down to a higher mileage car they usually get a more expensive model. Just because someone has a credit rating over 700 it does not mean they are rich. You can have good credit and not be wealthy. Anytime the government gives away ANYTHING someone somewhere has to pay for it.
I mildly oppose the "Cash for Clunkers" program because I believe it is flawed. As I libertarian-conservative I am opposed to corporate welfare, which has become a serious problem under the Clinton, Bush 43, and Obama administrations. I see "Cash for Clunkers" as a second bailout of the auto dealers, car manufacturers, and auto parts manufacturers. It is true that this is stimulative, but it singles out a single sector and class to benefit. People who couldn't afford a car before the program, still cannot afford a car. This is a incentive for wealthy and upper-middle-class people who have an old car laying around to go try and buy a new car. I also read an article today that stated that 4 of 5 of the top selling models so far are from Japanese or Korean automakers. This is because if we were to incentivise American's to purchase vehicles from American-owned automakers it would be a violation of our trade agreements with the other countries that sell products here.
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