Congress has just approved another way that they'll be spending taxpayer money.
It's called the Cash For Clunkers Bill....and it just plain pisses me off.
Here's the link to details:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i_J2CDMBIZhobnHhGIYFCzqvR52wD98TBJK00
Here's the basic jist...
Buy a new car that gets at least 22 MPG (yes, only 22, not 35, not 30, not even a measly 25 MPG, but only 22) and trade in your old "clunker" that gets 18 MPG or less (hmmm...I can think of just about every SUV under the sun that qualifies for that...) and guess what? The government will contribute up to $4500 toward the price of your car!
My gosh! How completely & utterly stupid!
"Hmmmmm...now that we own a 60% stake in General Motors, how we gonna sell these gas guzzling heaps of junk? Let's see....how bout we give people some of their money back to buy cars from our new car company that's in bankruptcy! Yeah! That's the ticket!"
Granted, I can see where this is probably coming from.....22 is better than 18, but is it really ALL that better? Especially given the wide breadth of vehicle choices out there today? 22 is all they could muster? I mean, how in the world is that even going to make a difference?
Case in point....my minivan that can seat 7 (as in S-E-V-E-N PEOPLE) gets better gas mileage than 22!!!! (I can pull a solid 27-28 MPG on a road trip & it gets 23-24 in town) Why 22? Why not 30 and actually MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!
Sorry, this is just plain stupid. For the love of Pete! If they actually wanted to do something GREEN, RAISE THE DANG MPG REQUIREMENT!!!! 22 is just stupid!
A full size pickup with a diesel engine can pull 22 if it works hard at it! And they think that's GREEN? HELLO!!!!
I'm sorry, but spending our tax payer money just so you & I can go out & buy a new gas guzzler that gets crappy mileage (and trust me, 22 is crappy for a car....P.S. It's only 18 MPG if you get a truck!) is no way to "improve the environment".
This is all about spending tax payer money to help out the car business in the US...you know, because the government HAS ALREADY spent billions on Chrysler & GM!
I just don't understand where these morons get off thinking that it's ok to spend taxpayer money that way when the economy is so far in shambles as it is! I also call them on the carpet for thinking this is "environmentally responsible". It's not! A car that gets 30 MPG or higher? Now THAT's a little better! But setting the limit so low is like saying, "Oh, we have no confidence that GM can actually make a car that'll get higher than 22 MPG...so...uhm...so that we can actually sell cars now that we own the place, here's some money to go spend on another piece of junk that'll fall apart on you the moment you drive it off the lot....enjoy!"
I just wish someone at the top of this behemoth we call the government would GET A GRIP ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE!!!! It's called Capitalism People! LET GENERAL MOTORS FAIL!!!! It's already in bankruptcy!!! Just let it die already!!!!
Sorry, but this just really hit a raw nerve. How they get off calling this a "clunker bill" "environmentally friendly" and "green" and then only set the limit at 22 MPG is absolutely in sain, idiotic, irresponsible, and uncalled for. Next thing we know they'll be buying up all those foreclosures that people are walking away from....oh wait...they're already doing that!
Stupid, stupid, stupid....but, as they say, "Your Tax Dollars Hard At Work!"
Give me a break!
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2 comments:
I think it's because for some reason Generation X (early 60's to early 80's) never got the memo that you don't spend money you don't have, and just because you're neighbors have something doesn't mean that you "deserve" one too. I sure wish we had more of a say in what the govt keeps spending our money on.
So, I can go find a clunker for say, $100, then go trade it on the cheapest car made, like a $10 car, and I end up paying a net of $5500.
Is that how it works? I hadn't heard about this. I assume it has to be a new car...Hey, I just thought of something. They have natural gas cars you can get about $8000 of rebates on. So if I can add the $4500 trade in, I can get a $20,000 car for $7500?. Sounds good to me. But there goes the used car market.
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