Yet another example of redistribution of wealth. My wife and I pay for everything we have. We live within our means. No one has ever bought me anything; no student loans, nothing. I paid my way through post-graduate school beginning with junior college. I bought my own cars, houses, etc. Yet, here we go again with US taxpayers paying for people to have a new car. Sorry, had to get that out.
Why the government can't put out public information messages teaching people to live within their means and pay their own way is beyond me. Think about it, we have gone from a society where a bankruptcy was something that was shameful and to be avoided at all cost to something that people apparently deserve and are entitled to when they spend well beyond their means and don't pay their bills. Do you want "those pesky bill collectors to stop calling you"? Pay your damn bills!
Well that drove this off the cliff I guess- sorry.
Full Version: Cash for Clunkers
Cool dog, Michael 
Michael, I agree with you to an extent... people should live within their means, and earn what they have... as you and I both do... I don't, however, automatically assume everyone who receives the benefits of our taxes is unworthy of them... I worked 3 jobs to get through college, but when I got laid off in February, I did draw unemployment benefits... now I'm back working... all is well... but many of the people who receive benefits are not just sucking off the system to live forever.. and if they are, it's not much of a living... it's not the way most of us live anyway...
the government does need to educate people on how to avoid debt problems... but that won't alleviate the need to help those in need... one can't assume that the people that benefit from the sliver of your check the government takes is unworthy of the assistance.
the government does need to educate people on how to avoid debt problems... but that won't alleviate the need to help those in need... one can't assume that the people that benefit from the sliver of your check the government takes is unworthy of the assistance.
Unemployment in your case did exactly what it needed to do and for that, its awesome. A stand up person looks through a tough situation and makes things work.
Likewise, living within your means IS the way to go, contrary to what Madison Ave pushes. You and I could give a Dr. Evil type gathering on living within your means, but I'd bet no one would take us up on it.
Back to this Cash for Clunkers thing, it seems like more people that weigh in, the more I'm seeing folks that either can't (doesn't make cents), or won't (doesn't make sense).
Let me try something different, if you wanted to increase car sales and fuel efficiency, how would you redistribute the dollars?
Likewise, living within your means IS the way to go, contrary to what Madison Ave pushes. You and I could give a Dr. Evil type gathering on living within your means, but I'd bet no one would take us up on it.
Back to this Cash for Clunkers thing, it seems like more people that weigh in, the more I'm seeing folks that either can't (doesn't make cents), or won't (doesn't make sense).
Let me try something different, if you wanted to increase car sales and fuel efficiency, how would you redistribute the dollars?
I think you are asking the wrong crowd if they would use this program.... I think the program is good, but it should apply to newer used cars as well, so that the guy driving the shitty dodge can trade up into a used car that has already eaten int depreciation... most of us wouldn't use this program, that doesn't mean it's bad... I saw no less than 10 cars on the way home that were in this year range in traffic and more than half of them needed some work... smokey muffler, wrecked and not fixed... that was only within the 10 miles I drive to work, and not on any highways... so it wasn't like I was in a sea of cars to see that many... those people could really benefit, in theory
if this program would have been around 3 years ago, I'd have used it on my old POS Sebring, to help get my wife's CR-V... yes, the CRV gets better gas milage.
the program, imo could be better if you could trade up used instead of buying new... also, some of the cars may have nothing wrong, and still be very low emissions... my sebring would have been an example... if the government is buying these cars, maybe it can afford to go through hem and see if those can be resold at deep discounts... they can either turn a profit on those or qualify buyers based on needs to do a even swap for junky old cars... they might not trade in the 1988 oldsmobile if they are forced to get a payment... but if they could trade it in on a 98 oldsmobile on an near-even swap to improve gas milage... they might be willing to part with a car that probably should be retired... I say that because here there's charities that will take any clunker, give you a huge tax write off for donating it, and then resell/junk the car to fund the charity..
if this program would have been around 3 years ago, I'd have used it on my old POS Sebring, to help get my wife's CR-V... yes, the CRV gets better gas milage.
the program, imo could be better if you could trade up used instead of buying new... also, some of the cars may have nothing wrong, and still be very low emissions... my sebring would have been an example... if the government is buying these cars, maybe it can afford to go through hem and see if those can be resold at deep discounts... they can either turn a profit on those or qualify buyers based on needs to do a even swap for junky old cars... they might not trade in the 1988 oldsmobile if they are forced to get a payment... but if they could trade it in on a 98 oldsmobile on an near-even swap to improve gas milage... they might be willing to part with a car that probably should be retired... I say that because here there's charities that will take any clunker, give you a huge tax write off for donating it, and then resell/junk the car to fund the charity..
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