‘Cash For Clunkers’
Well, it seems Congressman Steve Rothman is doing his best to boost the sales of Government Motors. The latest little gimmick is a bill called ‘Cash for Clunkers.’ The bill gives vouchers of up to $4500 to people who trade in their gas-guzzlers for more fuel efficient vehicles.
Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) voted in favor of the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act, H.R. 2751, also known as the “cash-for-clunkers” bill. Consumers may trade in their old, gas-guzzling vehicles and receive vouchers worth up to $4,500 to help pay for new, more fuel-efficient cars and trucks. The program will provide for approximately one million new car or truck purchases. The Act passed the U.S. House 298-119. It now must make it through the Senate.
“By supporting new, fuel-efficient car and truck purchases, Congress today passed common sense legislation to spur car sales at a time when auto companies and dealers are suffering in this tough economy,” said Rothman. “At the same time we are providing a boost to our clean energy economy and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. I hope New Jerseyans, who tend to spend a lot of time in their cars, take advantage of this new incentive.”
The cash-for-clunkers plan will run for one year, offering vouchers to people who trade in vehicles with average city/highway fuel economy of less than 18 miles a gallon to buy a more-efficient new car or light truck. The proposed program would offer the maximum $4,500 voucher for people to use to buy a car that gets at least 10 more mpg or a truck that is at least five mpg more efficient.
Now, I am by no means on expert on this but a few questions come to mind. Where’s this money coming from? How many people out there are actually driving passenger cars that get less than 18mpg? Even if every eligible car/truck owner turns in their vehicle, how much will this actually do to make us less dependent on foreign oil?
Yes, call me cynical but I have my doubts that this bill would do anything in the way of seriously helping the environment or lessening our dependence on foreign oil.
However, I have a better version of a ‘Cash for Clunkers’ bill that is certainly no gimmick. In my version, it’s quite simple. We immediately force all Democrats to resign their offices and replace them with Republicans who will actually cut our taxes. Now THAT’S a bill that most assuredly is no lemon.
Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!
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July 31st, 2009 at 8:51 am
[...] two posts on the silly ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program spurred on by Congressman Rothman. In my initial post I questioned just how the program would be paid for – and in my second post the Heritage [...]
July 31st, 2009 at 9:03 am
[...] two posts on the silly ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program spurred on by Congressman Rothman. In my initial post I questioned just how the program would be paid for – and in my second post the Heritage [...]