Reflecting on cash for clunkers at the 10 year anniversary. Stories, data, and regrets

I get a note with my CA registration renewal every year saying I can get "up to $1k" for getting rid of my fuel inefficient vehicle...I make sure to toss that piece of paper in the trash and not the recycle bin as a small means of rebellion

 

"Supposedly"?? So what do you think the intention was then?

 

Instead of destroying them, they could have given/sold at a real good deal to people that otherwise couldn't afford a car. But big, multi million dollar politicians don't ever consider things like that!

 

That would have been more environmental and possibly even helped the economy as someone may have been able to get to work, or even spent money on other things than taxi rides, heck even buying gas. But I digress.

 

You probably could have made a killing, buy a ton of beaters and flip it to the govt

They say the new real estate bust are people defaulting on car loans, more than during the last bad recession we had and supposedly most of those defaulting are older people (a lot of millenials I pork don't even own cars and I live in socal so I have to uber them over or scoop them up but I digress)

 

Without getting political, just about anything with government, money seems to end up with crooked politicians instead of its intended place.

 

Your statement is not political, it's quite factual. Example: Social Security. How many of you are aware that your Social Security taxes are spent on:

-Building roads across America.
-Buying fighter aircraft for the military.
-Studying the sexual habits of various animals.
-A GAO audit classified nearly half of all purchases on government credit cards as improper, fraudulent, or embezzled. Examples of taxpayer-funded purchases include gambling, mortgage payments, liquor, lingerie, iPods, Xboxes, jewelry, Internet dating services, and Hawaiian vacations. In one extraordinary example, the Postal Service spent $13,500 on one dinner at a Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, including "over 200 appetizers and over $3,000 of alcohol, including more than 40 bottles of wine costing more than $50 each and brand-name liquor such as Courvoisier, Belvedere and Johnny Walker Gold." The 81 guests consumed an average of $167 worth of food and drink apiece.
-The Securities and Exchange Commission spent $3.9 million rearranging desks and offices at its Washington, D.C., headquarters
-Washington will spend $126 million in 2009 to enhance the Kennedy family legacy in Massachusetts. Additionally, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) diverted $20 million from the 2010 defense budget to subsidize a new Edward M. Kennedy Institute.
-Despite trillion-dollar deficits, last year's 10,160 earmarks included $200,000 for a tattoo removal program in Mission Hills, California; $190,000 for the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming; and $75,000 for the Totally Teen Zone in Albany, Georgia.
-Members of Congress have spent hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars supplying their offices with popcorn machines, plasma televisions, DVD equipment, ionic air fresheners, camcorders, and signature machines -- plus $24,730 leasing a Lexus, $1,434 on a digital camera, and $84,000 on personalized calendars.
-The Transportation Department will subsidize up to $2,000 per flight for direct flights between Washington, D.C., and the small hometown of Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY) -- but only on Monday mornings and Friday evenings, when lawmakers, staff, and lobbyists usually fly. Rogers is a member of the Appropriations Committee, which writes the Transportation Department's budget.
-Congress has ignored efficiency recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services that would save $9 billion annually.

Just factual info folks.

 

So you're saying politicians got rich off of ARRA and it didn't help transition us out of a recession? Hmmm, I don't think that's how the history books will read about that...

Then source it...

 

I think you know where it is, and you're quite capable of finding it.

 

No, I don't know what conspiracy site you copied and pasted that from.

 

I see, you are THAT guy that says "The Constitution does NOT mention anything about owning AR-15s, so you cannot have one."

I remember the first time I had a beer too, and I think you'll be all right.

 

barely making this one I bet.

 

.

 

My Parents participated. My Mom had a 1999 Ford Explorer Sport. It had a little over 180,000 miles. It was starting to really wear out.. She bought it brand new exactly ten years to the month she traded it in. She was split between a Crew Cab midsized truck and a Convertible. It pushed her probably to trade it in 6 months before she would have bought a new car but my Dad said all the dealers he took it to before the program were offering around $800 for trade in (which I offered them too to have as a second vehicle) however the dealers and me lost to the Government program outbidding with $3500 she got buying a Pontiac Solistce GXP instead.

The only truck that was a crew cab that wasn't a 4cyl. supposedly was the Colorado/Canyon that they could qualify for the program but my Dad said no way to a GM truck. She still has the Solstice still in brand new condition less then 60,000 miles on it. I'm just waiting for the day she decides to finally pull the trigger on an SUV (Fingers crossed 4Runner) to buy that Solstice.