Monday, August 3, 2009

Cash For Clunkers Should Be The Symbol of Statist Economics

Big Media has been giddy for several days over the popularity of Barry Vladimir Hussein Soetero Obama's "Cash for Clunkers" boondoggle. In fact, it has been such a "success" that it blew through $1 billion like Amy Winehouse through a hotel liquor cabinet. It doesn't exactly take the ghost of Billy Mays to convince folks to take a fistful of free money and run with it. Of course, ecstatic with ""success" and void of responsibility, Congress wants to plunk down another $2 billion to buy junk cars. Now, that these jackholes are comfortable discussing spending you and your children's wealth in terms of trillions, $2 billion is couch change.

Let's break down the program for what it is: Congress is stealing your future earnings, but offering you the golden opportunity to cash in an old gas guzzler for $4,500 toward a new car that likely costs $25,000-$35,000. One of the mitigating factors in the current recession is the insane debt that Americans have bought. Now, in order to "boost the economy," the government is offering folks a little up-front cash to drive themselves FURTHER into debt. Yeah, that's a winning plan.

The Kremlin on the Potomac believes that only they can stimulate the economy. Well, in a sense they are right at this point. They could cut taxes on all Americans, especially the ones specifically targeted at the job creating segments of our society. But, that might give folks the idea they can solve their own problems. This way we can keep the country in crisis, but feel sure that our imperial federal government is working on a new solution.

In a matter of a couple days, Congress is wanting to triple the spending on a program they didn't understand in the first place. Something as straightforward as giving a $4,500 voucher for a junk car has created mayhem and a tripling of the budget. Now, do you really want to put these buffoons in charge of your health care? It is often said that any government program's announced cost can be at least tripled. In the case of Medicare, I don't think there is a word to describe how far off the numbers were except "arrrrggghhhhh!!!"

Cash for Clunkers is the quintessential Beltway boondoggle. Sell a program as a "gift" to the American people (paid for out of their own pockets, of course, and adding to their personal debt). Create mounds of paperwork and bureaucratic confusion. Underestimate the cost of the program. Then demand even more money be spent on the program because it is vital to the nation's interests.

The great Ronaldus Maximus was correct about the Liberal-Leftist-Progressive-Democrat-Statist's philosophy: "If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. "

2 comments:

  1. This program is hurting charities that use the proceeds form the sale of car donations to fund their programs. At Cars4Charities car donation center, we are receiving donations of cars that don't qualify for a voucher because they don't run. A bulk of the revenue from car donation comes from the sale of cars that do run. Those are being turned in for a voucher and crushed! What a waste.

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  2. Excellent point, Karen, though I am sorry to hear your organization is already feeling the hit. When government makes the decision to divert a resource of any kind to a specific purpose, it means that resource will not be available for other purposes. That is one reason central government planning does not work.

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