Buy, Buy Now
We bought a 2010 Toyota Corolla on Tuesday night. It was the federal government’s Cash for Clunker’s program that drew us into the dealership this week when we might have otherwise held out and waited a bit longer. Ultimately we didn’t get the federal money, because somehow the 1995 Mercury Tracer we were trading-in allegedly gets more than 18 miles to the gallon of gas (oil and coolant rates per mile don’t matter), but the dealer made us an offer we couldn’t refuse, so we didn’t.
I have philosophical differences with government handouts, but after my participation in the Adopt a Wall Street Banker program was limited to paying for it, I wasn’t going to object to taking money that’s been approved for a specific purpose that includes me and my former Clunker. I would have voted against both programs, but now that they’re law I’ll take what’s being offered.
Unfortunate to see though that the Cash for Clunkers Program seems to be on the way out. Multiple professional media types are saying it will be suspended tonight because they’re afraid it will hit it’s cap of one billion dollars. Yep, one billion dollars. About 1/2 of 1% of the money given to prop up mismanaged and overextended banks. 1/10th of 1% of the proposed federal spending on health care. I didn’t think either the current or the previous administration cared about billions anymore – it’s not real money until there’s a T at the front.
So, elected people in Washington: For the few days it was viable this was a popular program that people understood, unlike the rest of the stimulus trash. If you’re insistent on throwing tax dollars at the recession without creating one tiny bit of infrastucture or enduring public benefit, maybe this is the program you should be fully funding.
They’re “taking” another $2B from a program intended to put more renewable power and/or transmission capacity on the market to pay for clunkers, at least according to the House version passed today. We’ll see how the Senate goes with it.
I got mine as well.
@Darren – Congrats!