Oppose Federal "Cash For Clunkers" Program

Washington lawmakers are drafting a large economic stimulus package to help create jobs and rebuild infrastructure. They want to include a nationwide scrappage program which would give U.S. tax dollars to consumers who turn-in older cars to have them crushed, as a misguided attempt to spur new car sales. The lawmakers need to scrap this idea.

The stimulus package is being drafted right now. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) wants to introduce the bill on January 6 and have it approved by Congress by January 20, so that President Obama can sign it into law after he is inaugurated.

Contact House Speaker Nancy Pelosi IMMEDIATELY To Oppose Cash for Clunkers!
Call: 202-225-0100
Click here to send an electronic message: [speaker.house.gov]

Talking Points
Feel free to use any of the statements below as a starting point for your message to Speaker Pelosi.

* I am [calling/writing] to urge lawmakers not to include a “Cash for Clunkers” provision in the economic stimulus bill. Owners who turn in vehicles for crushing would receive a "minimal" payment to purchase a new car. This is a misguided attempt to spur car sales and claim that the country’s air quality or fleet fuel mileage is being improved.

* I work for [company name] located in [city and state]. My company is part of the specialty automotive industry, an industry which enables consumers to enhance their vehicle’s appearance, performance, comfort, convenience and safety. “Cash for Clunkers” programs deny our small businesses the availability of older cars necessary to develop and market their products and services. The programs will hurt my company and our customers.

* “Cash for Clunkers” programs threaten enthusiasts nationwide with the loss of valuable parts and parts-cars for repair, restoration, and customization projects. The programs also risk destroying classic, historic and special-interest vehicles, our American heritage.

* Cars turned in for scrappage often barely run, or are rarely-driven second or third vehicles that have a minimal impact on overall fuel economy or emissions.

* “Cash for Clunkers” programs will reduce the availability of affordable transportation and repair parts used by low-income drivers. It will also compete with the Salvation Army, the Purple Heart and other charities that rely on vehicle donations to raise money.

* “Cash for Clunkers” ignores better policy options. If Congress wants to act, support for repair and upgrade is a better choice and a win-win for consumers, dealers, manufacturers and repair shops. Significant emissions and fuel economy improvements can be achieved in older vehicles through relatively simple and inexpensive means: repaired/replaced exhaust systems, tune-ups, etc.

* We hope we can count on you to reject “Cash for Clunkers.” Thank you for your consideration on this very important matter.

If you choose to send a message to Speaker Pelosi, please send a copy of your message to SEMA also:
E-mail: briand@sema.org
Fax: 202/783-6024



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/31/2008 01:41PM by John Britton.

John,

Did you expect rational thinking from this one? She is as out of touch, stupid and naive as Bush.
Of course we could have had Palan in the White House. Makes Day Quail look like a Rhodes Scholar.

Jim

Jim,

No, Nancy is a shining example from the idiocracy we call government. But then again I don't expect much to change in our favor when the Kenyan takes office. The price of oil is going to rise starting in the later part of March.

John



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/01/2009 03:08AM by John Britton.

I've studied it, and boiled it down to a bumper sticker.

"Our Government Hates All Of Us."

That's the nature of power and the people should always approach government that way and control it accordingly.

Happy New Year, this one gonna be a, well interesting one.

Best, ----- Bill G.

Hi All,

Hat's off to Scott, for making this catagory. Often times we will voice our opinion's on this or that technology. But this is the non-steam section/catagory.



Bearing that in mind, i've contributed to this section before. Sharing fishing story's and recipes and things.



I think SEMA is a pretty large entity, not unlike SAE or the SACA.

I have this 1973 Gran Torino Sport, its a pan-top fastback, yes the rear quarter glass rolls down and there's no door post. This is a full frame car with a 460cid and C6 trans with column-shift(3 in the tree).

There is No way in Hell, I would do anything other than drive this car, or keep it forever.

I've seen tractor trailer loads of V8 engines sent to china from the junkyard next door. Always made me shake my head in disbelief.

Call me a packrat if you will. But I always find it hard to throw away perfectly good engineering.

I feel "as a misguided attempt to spur new car sales." is a bad idea. Its very simular as to why there's no EV1's around. Anyhow im ranting

On a final note, as someone registered republican, I almost voted for the president elect. No matter who holds the office Dem or Rep, we should give our support. Besides Obama's enthusiasm does give some comfort to me.


Best


Jeremy

-edit spelling corrections , moved china up from third world country-



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/02/2009 12:45PM by Jeremy Holmes.

Jeremy,

Lets see. One puppeteer, three puppets. A Mc Cain a Hillery and an Obama. Parade before audience. Take out one, set aside. Run the other two and spend millions of dollars to convince people there is a dimes worth of difference between them. People pick the Obama one, great, now bring back the Hillery one as secretary of state.

Tell another big lie about this being a democracy and ask for our support.

I didn't get to vote for the puppeteer, did you?

Of the people, by the people, lie to the people.

Damned if I'll support any of it. I'm self sworn to support the constitution not this criminal piece of crap government.

Other than that I'm fine.

Best,----- Bill G.

Hi Bill,

"Other than that I'm fine."

Smiles...

We have this condo assoc, where I live. Ive even been on the board of directors. When I first moved in to the complex, the board could not even establish a quorum since there was never enough board members in attendance. Needless to say I got sucked in. The problem was that the reserves were being drained by an insurance cost raise. The budget started at 154 buck's per month. By the time I was off the board we had a balenced budget and it was 184 per month. The reserves were pretty strong at that point. Now three years later the condo assoc is nearly broke, over a situation were some dude got into power and tried to help but screwed a bunch of things up. On the outside ofcoarse things appear better than before the acces gates are working the trash still goes out, there's security etc.

This year there is a whole new board of directors. I ran into the new president(which I did vote for[on the condo assoc]). She was helping out with the getting rid of christmas trees and such. The fact the new board even wants to be there amazes me. theres 16,000 buck's in the reserves(practically bankrupt) and these guys worked hard to keep the condo fee's from going to 300 a month. So for this year, instead, somebody got there head screwed on straight, with the power to do something about it(the whole board), and we only went up to 237 per month.

The goverment may be a peice of crap, but its the only one we got, and is better than most around the world.

I guess the squeaky wheel gets the oil, so to speak. At least we can talk about it. Im not going to say what or what I dont agree with, because I want to wait and see what happens.


Best



Jeremy

Jeremy,

Not that government makes me cranky or anything, but whatever happens; I'm ready to disagree with it. LOL I always feel better prepared when coming from that position.

Best,--- Bill G.

What a waste. Wouldn't be so bad if they were selling them.

[www.youtube.com]

Look at all those potential steam car donor bodies being wasted.

Graeme

I do not have any "klunkers". my 74 van is too old, and my shadow gets to good of gas milage. the rest don't run.

This will remove all the cars that the "poor people" drive, replacing them with big debt.

I agree with Graeme that was my potential market.

Compared to Pelosi, a Siberian shoe factory manager could win the Nobel Prize for economics. How can someone married to a rich guy be so totally ignorant of how the real world works? Millions of jobs making windmills and solar cells? What an idiot.

Based on back-of-the-envelope engineering, one of these electric cars needs about 20KWH overnight to recharge. So for 50,000 you need a gigawatt supply, unless you come up with a practical way to sequence them. Didn't California throw out a governor a few years back for a lack of power in their grid? And I doubt the new plants built since then will be able to handle this extra load. So for 50,000 EVs you need a new Fermi II. And 50,000 electrics won't make a dimple, let alone a dent, in the smog. What pinheads.

Mind you, I like the basic idea. I have a hybrid design that will be better than any of the Tinkertoy designs I've worked with. It's the government shoving it down our throats that ticks me off.

I've been trying to keep pace with the Cash for Clunkers program. They have traded around 250,000 vehicles in a couple of weeks and exhausted the first $1bn. Auto companies and dealers are obviously pleased but the scrap yards are not that impressed due to the extra work they have to do and the loss of income from not being able to sell any parts of the wrecked engines or drive train. They can sell the remains of a vehicle within 180 days but after that it has to be crushed or shredded. So there may be up to 250,000 rolling chassis of various quality for a limited time for those needing one. I don't know what the average cost of these would be or whether it would be easier to just buy a complete used car of your choice to avoid dealing with a partly mangled vehicle.

A disturbing aspect of this program is the deliberate destruction of a lot of engines that are not that old and have fuel economy up to 18 mpg, while exempt vehicles older than 25 years and much poorer economy remain in use. You don't have to be too smart to work out some creative ways of giving disadvantaged people or charity groups a cashless benefit by allowing them to exchange older and less economical clunkers for approved sound traded vehicles that are far more economical and safer. So a really clunky clunker could then be scrapped in lieu.

If the program is extended for a few more weeks, US citizens might like to stir up your representatives with some practical ideas and make them earn their keep.

Graeme

Practical? Congress? Graeme, you clearly are not from here.

The point of this program is to make the Greenies happy, not accomplish anything useful. The fact that it hurts one of their proclaimed interest groups, the poor, by driving up the cost of the remaining used cars is irrelevant to saving the polar bears from a non-existant threat.

Plus, of course, poor people don't donate much to re-election campaigns, unlike limosine liberals.

Tom

Tom,

No i'm not there but here, downunder. Just read the program is closing down next Monday when the extra $2bn is likely to run out. They will have blown $3bn in about 3 weeks and trashed about 750,000 cars - many of which are not that old. As they say, "bad politicians are elected by good people who didn't vote."

Graeme

Graeme

Things are getting a bit more interesting. A number of dealers are complaining that the bureaucrats are pulling the old "check is in the mail" routine, and have stopped destroying engines until more money on completed deals shows up. They are threatening to resell the cars unless the Feds get their act together.

Typical. So typical. These guys could mess up a 1 car funeral procession. And they want to run our lives!

Tom



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/2009 11:51PM by TH.

[www.youtube.com]


Best


Jeremy