Cash For Clunkers?
Believe it or not, U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) are proposing the implementation of a voucher system … except it’s for your cars, not your kids.
Specifically, the program is called “Cash for Clunkers,” and it enables people to get up to $4,500 in tax credits for trading in their gas-guzzlers for a more fuel-efficient ride.
“For Americans who have a clunker sitting in their driveway, this is an even better trade-in offer than they could get from any car dealership,” Schumer boasts in announcing the program.
“Cash for Clunkers” would cost taxpayers about $2 billion a year to implement (and has tons of fine print), but it does raise a fundamental question … if our government is willing to give people vouchers to purchase new environmentally-friendly cars, why wouldn’t it also provide them so parents chould choose a better school for their kids?
Comments
By reprobate on January 20th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Actually, this is just a sneaky way of “normalizing” relations with Cuba. The Dems are going to collect these junkers and ship them to Raul, free of charge. Them Cubans needs Parts!
By Madison on August 6th, 2009 at 11:01 pm
As with most government programs, the success of the “cash for clunkers” program is not measured in how well the consequences of the program align with the stated goals of its advocates. Nor is it measured by any economic impacts the consequences might cause. Instead, just like the example of the public library in George Dance’s recent article about Booze and books, the success is measured by participation or usage, not by any measure of the value provides or harm it does to our economy. The trick is to define the program specifically so that it has a known demand so the usage is high. Media spin and politics will make sure the right people hear the program was successful and beneficial. I heard a bit on NPR just today about the downstream benefits that recycling all these old cars has. Ridiculous of course, but the perception amongst the voters is far more important than the actual results and consequences. Certainly there will be follow-on programs, cash for major appliances, cash for tools, etc.