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Credit, not cash, drives home a better point
Understandably the “Cash for Clunkers” program is wildly popular among new car dealers, car makers and those consumers who have the ability to buy a new vehicle. However, the majority of Americans cannot afford a new car payment today, but they probably can afford to trade up to a newer used vehicle or make their current vehicle more fuel-efficient.
Routine vehicle maintenance for an entire year costs a consumer less than a single monthly new car payment and would be significantly more successful in reducing gasoline use and pollution than “Cash for Clunkers.”
Vehicle maintenance would save consumers $30 billion in gasoline a year vs. spending $3 billion in taxpayer dollars to buy new cars.
While “Cash for Clunkers” is estimated to save 72 million gallons of gasoline each year, simple vehicle maintenance would save more than 12 billion gallons of gasoline a year. Additionally, vehicle maintenance does not require destroying perfectly good used vehicles that could be sold or donated to people who cannot afford a new car.
Doesn’t it make more sense to give a tax credit or other incentive to the majority of Americans to improve the fuel efficiency, safety and dependability of their current vehicle, rather than taking their tax dollars to help a small minority of consumers and pump up new car dealer profits?
Kathleen Schmatz, 20814
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Good morning.
Just got home.
The letter has merit, because I keep my car in as good a comdition has possible.
It is a 2002 model ans is pushing 300,000 miles. I have the oild changed close to ever 3,000 miles. The tires are kept at the correct pressure and rotated ever other oil change and I get 24 t0 26 mpg.
The government does not belong in subsidizing one business over another.
Does prove when they give taxpayers their own money back they will spend it. When are the democraps going to learn that?
They can spend their money better then the government can on their own. We would have been smoking if they put the money in the hands of the taxpayers/consumers instead of redistributing it.
Socialism never has worked and never will at least in this life.
Jeez Cpt. N, sounds like you take better care of your car than your body!
I wonder where the LTE got all her stats? Sounds like maintence of autos trumps anything humans can do to save the environment and stop global warming.
I see the compactors crushing these traded in cars and it doesn't look right.
They should be donated to churches or something done rather than trash them.
Give them to the homeless to live in. Better than sleeping under bridges and on sidewalks.
I believe the LTE writer doesn't understand the purpose of the program...to stimulate new car sales.
id: "The government does not belong in subsidizing one business over another."
Right. No welfare for the Titans, Predators, Sounds, VW, or Dell.
The "OFF Topic division of TCP is now open:
Bill O'Reilley stated last night, "I have a Master's degree from Harvard University, that cost me $30,000., and I cannot understand what Obama is saying".
So, if Uncle Bill can't get it together, there's little chance any of us can.
Oh well, when is pork shoulder and rump roast going on sale at Kroger's?
$30K won't even get you one year at Vandy. Harvard must be slippin'.
Harvard must have lowered their standards.
No guys...Uncle Bill either bought the degree on the black market or received it in 1923.
Good morning, Nashville!
Kathleen Schmatz throws a lot of numbers around but does not reveal her source(s). I suspected that her data may be somewhat tainted.
Thanks to the all-wise and all-knowing Google, I can now report that Ms. Scmatz is, in fact, a propfessional zealot. I searched the term "72 million gallons of gasoline" and I learned that this same letter appeared elsewhere.. In the Santa Monica Daily Press, for example, the letter was signed:
Kathleen Schmatz
President & CEO Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA)
Here is a link to the letter as it appeared in the Santa Monica Daily Press:
http://www.smdp.com/Letters-4087.113116_Not_sold_on_clunkers.html
Kathleen has been a busy little beaver; here is another link that is quite revealing:
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/08-07-2009/0005074039&EDATE=
Here is a snippet that second source:
"AAIA is a Bethesda, Md.-based association whose more than 23,000 member and affiliates manufacture, distribute and sell motor vehicle parts, accessories, service, tool, equipment, materials and supplies. Through its membership, AAIA represents more than 100,000 repair shops, parts stores and distribution outlets."
There you have it folks, Ms. Schmatz is a lobbyist.
Instead of destroying hundreds of thousands of good cars, I'm sure there are many poor who can not afford any car and who need a car to have a job. Since we, the taxpayers, bought these "clunkers", charity or a loaner program would have been a smarter use for $3 billion.
Great info Loner, interesting...
Probably the Harvard branch campus in Grenada, the one next to the med school. :)
LONER: Just curious about Ms. Schmatz. You don't mention whether her facts are accurate or not, just that she is a lobbiest. Being a lobbiest and letter writer to multiple newspapers doesn't negate the truth of what she writes.
I think we need a tax credit or federal government incentive for yard care. After all, a professional organization would do a much better job of protecting the environment than I do with my attempts at fertilizing, weed killing, etc. I'm probably destroying something by using too much product and getting excessive run-off which gets into our eco-system with possibly devestating results. Long live the snail darter...
Pardon my typos, haven't had my medicine yet. I wonder if Kathleen revealed her full identity to the NCP, or if she is posing as a concerned citizen.
This Google search ability is just the sort of thing that I was talking about yesterday. As long as the internet remains free, the boogyman of ignorance will be on the run.
The kind of search that I did to reveal the truth behind the LTE would have been impossible, only a few short years ago. With power like this in the hands of the people, many totalitarian states are getting very nervous and despots everywhere are taking steps to control internet access and content.
Power to the People!
Sleazy adultery is not just confined to American conservatives:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6005681/Tory-MP-James-Gray-facing-calls-to-go-after-marrying-mistress.html
Citizen, I don't know if her facts are accurate or not, but I suspect that Ms. Schmatz put a lot of spin on her data. I noticed that she speaks in terms of gallons of gasoline, not barrels of oil. A barrel holds 55 gallons.
Being a professional zealot does not automatically mean that she is fibbing, but it should alert the reader to underlying motives and the author's perspective.
Geez guys, how LONG ago do you think Bill got his degree from Harvard? I know that years ago you could have bought a small car for $2,000 - so in those days $30,000 was a LOT.
Loner
"The kind of search that I did to reveal the truth behind the LTE would have been impossible, only a few short years ago. With power like this in the hands of the people, many totalitarian states are getting very nervous and despots everywhere are taking steps to control internet access and content."
Exactly and it explains why the government has been pining to regulate the internet, doesn't it.
capt. nemo I do the same; I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty with 149,000 miles; I run it with the synthetic oil; use high test gas about every 4th fill up; rotate tires 5000 miles; change oil 3-5 thousand. Can I get some money for being a good citizen. I also hang my clothes out to dry (summer or winter); use my dryer 30 minutes to one hour MONTHLY; turn off lights and conserve water. Can I get a rebate? I also try to cut down my breathing to 1/2 the time and my flatulence is greatly reduced since I don't eat gassy foods! Can I get a rebate? Look, it does not matter what we do. It ill not be good enough. The Chicago machines wants us to have less and do less so they can have more and do more. Can't anyone see the true meaning of these Washington bureaucratic lies?
Kosh, the Brits are into naughty knickers, dogging, anal figging with ginger and everything in between. Again, watch a few Benny Hill re-runs and you'll see what I mean. You gotta love the English.....
Let the right-wing whining begin!!
I'm off to get them some cheese...
Speaking of the government and the internet
U.S. Web-Tracking Plan Stirs Privacy Fears
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/10/AR2009081002743_pf.html
Well, at least someone is having a stimulated economy!
Trinkets that stick it to Obama start to sell
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/aug/11/cashing-in-on-no-he-cant/
No thanks "Cash for Clunkers" program. I'lll continue driving my paid off ten-year old automobile to and from my paid off house and keep the money for myself. When time for buying another car rolls around I will look for a cash deal, on a used car.
courier,
Me too...and the used car will not be a hybrid. I don't like them and will not buy them for as long as I can get away with it.
Why do some people seem to think anyone cares if they do or do not participate and that we want to know the details of their finances? Seriously
dargent; I do take care of my cae than me. Car parts are cheaper than human parts.
I'm driving a retired postal jeep. Built in 1983, the 4-holer gets 26 mpg. I drove it to my retreat and back and camped out in it while there - it was high and dry but a bit cramped. Yes, I had tie-dyed curtains and an onboard incense burner. The Kharma of a retired mailman living in retired postal jeep was enormously powerful. I must report that the jeep is a big-time babe magnet and sorry, it's not for sale.
By: sidneyames on 8/11/09 at 8:12
capt. nemo I do the same; I have a 2002 Jeep Liberty with 149,000 miles; I run it with the synthetic oil; use high test gas about every 4th fill up; rotate tires 5000 miles; change oil 3-5 thousand. Can I get some money for being a good citizen. I also hang my clothes out to dry (summer or winter); use my dryer 30 minutes to one hour MONTHLY; turn off lights and conserve water. Can I get a rebate? I also try to cut down my breathing to 1/2 the time and my flatulence is greatly reduced since I don't eat gassy foods! Can I get a rebate? Look, it does not matter what we do. It ill not be good enough. The Chicago machines wants us to have less and do less so they can have more and do more. Can't anyone see the true meaning of these Washington bureaucratic lies?
*******************************************************************************************
I get my rebate by saving money on not having to buy a new car because I did not let my old fall beyound repair.
Why bother having a dryer if you don't use it?
You should take in a full breath air it might improve your personlity.
Not eating gassy foods has not helped you at all. You still stink.
Shocking! Shocking I tell you!
Congressional Budget Expert Says Preventive Care Will Raise -- Not Cut -- Costs
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/08/congressional-budget-expert-says-preventive-care-will-raise-not-cut-costs.html
"dargent; I do take care of my cae than me. Car parts are cheaper than human parts"
Plus, when you go to Pep Boys to get a part, you won't be denied service because the car has a preexisting broken component.
Here is the URL for my original Google search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%2272+million+gallons+of+gasoline%22&hl=en&safe=off&num=20&newwindow=1&start=20&sa=N
If one goes to that page, one will see that the "72 miilion gallons of gasoline" is a recurrent phrase that appears to have been pulled out of thin air and then copied, to fit the particular lobbying agenda.
That same figure was used to "quantify" several unrelated "potential savings" - this number was used by the plastic recycling lobby, the US Dept. of Transportation and the taxicab lobby to describe the benefits of their respective fuel saving proposals.
Here is a cut/paste from a 2004 DOT report that uses this same suspicious number: ".Similarly, the annual fuel burned idling at grade crossings would increase by 72 million gallons of gasoline, 15 million gallons of diesel fuel, and 6 million gallons of lubricating oil." (Emphasis mine)
Here is the URL for that DOT source:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2004cpr/chap19.htm
Again, thank you Google.
Man, Rep Scott tap-dances around the issues pretty darn well...but doesn't answer the question at all.
Health care debate heats up 13:54Dr. Hill and Rep. Scott discuss the Health Care Reform debate in The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/08/10/tsr.scott.hill.heathcare.debate.cnn?iref=videosearch
If we all rode a bicycle to work, just once per year, we could save 72 million gallons of gasoline - the bicycle mfg. lobby would agree with me on that.
If we all drove around in the nude, the savings in fuel would probably amount to 72 million gallons of gasoline, trust me.
If we all go out and buy ____________ (fill in the blank), it will save 72 million gallons of gasoline - no doubt about it.
Hey, this lobbying thing is easy!
Loner lol
One more item: Waxing your car increases its aerodynamic efficiency; the Car Wax Institute estimates that, if everyone waxed their car just once per month, the fuel savings would amount to 72 million gallons of gasoline. (Source: My arse.com)
If we all go out and buy "lettuce", it will save 72 million gallons of gasoline.
Nah, doesn't work to well...
Yes it does, GD, if you are buying lettuce, you are probably preparing salads at home, as opposed to going out to eat. The car stays in the driveway as you enjoy your rabbit food. Again, this would save 72 million gallons of gasoline.
Good point, Loner.
Dammit, I think that I missed my calling - shoulda, coulda been a lobbyist, bringing down the long green. If I had never been a mailman, 72 million gallons of gasoline would have been saved. My bad.
That's very true. One trip to Kroger uses about 70 million gallons of gasoline, give or take 69,999,999 gallons...
There is no one answer to any of lifes problems. Cash for Clunkers is just one. Keeping a car in good working order is another. The thing is not to become stuck in the mud like the fringe conservatives want.
Nemo, the fact that they needed to quickly replenish funding indicates that not everyone finds it a bad idea. Some people will never be happy and will complain about everything....
$4.00 a gal will reduce the amount of fuel being used.
Complaining wastes 72 million gallons of gas each year...
Hey, if we all quit working and for that matter, stopped breathing, we would save millons of gallons on gasoline... and also fix Global Warming!
If the right-wing fring nuts stop breathing the methane problem would be solved.
The Titans actually save 72 millions of gas each year by failing to get past the first round...Cowboys too...they are true Patriotic American football clubs...
Things aren't sounding too good for healthcare...thank goodness!
Gallup poll - More Disapprove Than Approve of Obama on Healthcare
http://www.gallup.com/poll/121814/More-Disapprove-Than-Approve-Obama-Healthcare.aspx
Pew poll - Obama's Ratings Slide Across the Board
The Economy, Health Care Reform and Gates Grease the Skids
http://people-press.org/report/532/obamas-ratings-slide
Quinnipiac poll - Scrap Health Care Reform If It Adds To Deficit, U.S. Voters Tell Quinnipiac University National Poll; Voters Disapprove Of Obama's Handling Of Health Care
http://www.quinnipiac.edu/x1295.xml?ReleaseID=1357
Wall Street Journel - Support Slips for Health Plan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124890178435291341.html
Washington Post - Poll Shows Obama Slipping on Key Issues
Approval Rating on Health Care Falls Below 50 Percent
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071902176.html
New York Times - New Poll Finds Growing Unease on Health Plan
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/us/politics/30poll.html?_r=2&ref=todayspaper