Cash For Clunkers program - Not quite going as planned...

[audtatious]

I'm still waiting to see what the final cost is per car under this program. Maximum is $4500 but that does not include the infrastructure nor jobs needed to support it. It seems the DOT has created a new organization with three divisions to administer the program (telephone support, online web presence, contract administration, etc etc etc) and it seems the NHTSA was given approval to staff-up in creating 4 new reports for dealers to use with the estimated staffing for these 4 reports requiring 160,353 man hours.

Again, time will tell if that 4500 cost us 6000 or 8000 or whatever....Man, wish I could get handouts

[AZhitman]

So, here's my question:

How many of those cars that were "clunkers" were actually worth MORE than $4500 on the open market?

I saw a pic in Time magazine of a stack of cars collected under the CARS program, and recognized several late-model vehicles that probably were NOT "polluters", nor were they really "clunkers".

I'd prefer to see MY tax dollars go to a credit to people who donate those cars to a "Welfare To Work" program, to single moms who are just barely making a living, or even donated to domestic violence victims (much like cell phones).

How many DV victims would be liberated frmo a terrible situation if only they could afford a beater car for basic transportation - whether it be to get them away from their situation, or just to end their reliance on a single car to get them to work each day?

Bah. The whole damn program is a sham and a joke, and I'm pissed that my tax dollars are going to support it.

[audtatious]

One such program, which sells donated cars to help kids with cancer (or something similar), have lost out on an estimated 75k due to people "un-donating" their car to the cause. Saw it on a news report somewhere, just don't remember where.

CfC also has no requirement for a SSN either, wonder how many of these went straight to Mexico or Canada....

[smockers83]

When the government owns car companies, they're going to get people to buy cars when the industry is struggling. What if Ford put on the same program by themselves? Trade in your GM or Chrysler clunker and get a Ford. Then Obama would be pissed at Ford and have another one of his tantrums on the Lawn.

The thing about this program is that we're borrowing growth from the future.

What if I want to get rid of my clunker but not buy a car? Can I still get up to $4500 because that would be ultimate fuel saver, would it not?

[srellim234]

...The thing about this program is that we're borrowing growth from the future....

Welcome to the effect of deficit spending, which governments have practiced for years.

As voters, we are every bit at fault as the legislators that do this kind of thing because we keep electing the same people to office, not willing to throw our own bums out.