Does anyone think more programs like "Cash for Clunkers"...

that put money directly into the hands of folks to spend should have been part of the stimulus? Giving money to spend looks like it works, but there was concern that people would either hoard it, or just pay debts for old purchases instead of generating new economic growth.

But hopefully they had a plan for people who think the sneaky way through. I do like the idea of credit-towards-something rather than flat out cash.

more power to you.

So unless they went back in a time machine, I don't see how they could do it without falsifying records.

story about the program, because they didn't want people confused.

And, to make sure that the people actually were more than likely DRIVING the cars regularly, they had to also have them insured for a year - and they have to be running condition when they arrive... pretty stringent rules.
Time machine! ha...

Which leads to the tire factory,pioneer factory,bose plant,scrap metal factory etc taking on new work orders thus leading to the construction of more factories!


I KNOW PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS MORE EXCITING PLANS COMING SOON!:)




What did * do for the average factory?

...and wonder if there's any oversight of that side of the process.

Nice try, though.

:)

with license and insurance and must be operational to qualify.

instead of giving money to banks, give/lend it to people to buy/refinance stuff. The "credit crisis" could have been alleviated with a "public option" that kept the economy going, while the private banks either died or got their heads out of their butts.

I even spelled out the terms of "my" cash for clunkers program to my carpool partner - back in October. Getting the cars off the lots and into peoples hands accomplishes much more than does lending money to the manufacturers. The system keeps functioning, drawing down inventory while the manufacturers either die or get their heads out of their butts.

Bottom-up is the better tactic to fix the economy.

We needed programs to get people off the couch buying.

We should have offered $ 10,000 to anyone who buys a house, $ 500 to buy a refrigerator, etc.

Cash for clunkers is true stimulus. It gets money moving.

It's nothing but another auto industry subsidy.

You mean manufacturing industry? Also I guess I missed the part where the money had to be spent on American cars.

that destroys your argument entirely. I understand the argument against it being 'selfishly only for the auto industry', however, It does many good things. And heavens forbid we have a credit that instead of going to bailout banks again, instead goes to the people to make the highways safer, the air cleaner, uses less gas, and gets tax money to the cities & states, plus promotes new car manufacturing (when car manufacturing effects 7 out of 10 people in some direct or indirect way, and really it effects everyone with taxes being paid on the cars going to the municipalities and states)

increase in education grants, refundable education tax credit, money for weatherizing homes...

you mean like that?

One thing is for sure, at least in my area, the cash for clunkers program has really picked up production for my wife's job. She makes car seats for the Ford Escape Hybrid here in Columbus NE. They just had a meeting the other day, and her department and several others are expecting to work some major overtime. Before that she wasn't getting quite a full 40 hour work week. She has a week of shutdown coming up and after that, she was informed to expect some serious production runs once the shutdown is done. This is GREAT news for her and the other employees. This means more money for our local economy. I'm guessing that many other places similar to what my wife does are also going full steam ahead. How could anybody NOT like that?

I also believe that one of the keys to kicking off the economy is to get those auto workers busy. I know another $2 billion is in the works to add to the program, but with the response so far, I'd say pump in a good $5 billion!! We are absolutely grateful to the Obama admin for doing this program. It's too bad the huge Republican majority in this town have to cut down and scoff at the efforts.

And the revolution is delayed until the next crisis.

The current system was designed to run on profit. The economy has gotten too large, and too energy intensive to continue that system. (Sort of like, all out war being tolerable when the weapons were grenades, bayonets, and even aircraft, but when the weapons became death star nuclear warheads the nature of war had to shift.)

We no longer need to encourage production (through the profit motive) and we need to scale back both production and consumption.

I'm glad the program had a beneficial effect for your family. I am just discouraged that we won't be using this crisis to make any real progress toward a real solution.

be getting $1,500 in tax credits next year. Makes it more affordable for us and got us to do something we've been putting off for years.

So, YES!

However because of all the wealth disappearing, the uncertain job market and lack of consumer confidence people are just going to save it.

So obama is reducing payments to SS/Medicare, eh?

I hadn't realized this was what his "tax cut to the middle class" was.

Well, I'll be awaiting the sequel.