Louisville Courier Journal Weighs In On "Cash For Clunkers", Urges More Funding. Where Do You Stand On The Issue?
Fund more rebates
The U.S. Senate should not take its four-week recess without approving more money for the wildly popular “cash for clunkers” auto rebate program. The House approved additional funding by a 3-to-1 margin. Senators should not be stymied by obstructionism from doing the same — although it appears they may do just that, led, predictably, by Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The program was and is a good idea for several reasons: It provides customers up to $4,500 rebates when they turn in their gas hogs for more fuel-efficient cars. It provides a jumpstart in sales for America's auto industry. And both those efforts put all of us on the road to economic and environmental recovery sooner, rather than later.
Incredibly, the program is being knocked by Mr. McConnell and others precisely because it is so successful. They complain that the initial $1 billion for the program was supposed to last several months but has been snatched up by grateful consumers much sooner than that. Also, other senators, such as Kentucky's Jim Bunning, say they object to selectively helping some industries while allowing others to flail or fail.
These are not serious arguments, especially in light of the number of cars the “cash for clunkers” program has produced.
A Courier-Journal news article reports the program produced a 60 percent increase in weekly new car sales in the days after its July 24 launch, with Ford's fuel-efficient Focus being the top-seller.
As George Pipas, Ford's chief sales analyst, told the Associated Press, “I think probably this is the greatest one-week energy conservation program that may have come out of Washington or anywhere else.”
So why stop now?
The Senate can do the right thing and enact a $2 billion extension for this popular program for all the right reasons. It should do just that by Friday's scheduled recess.
Editor's comment: as for me, I still can't find a raeson to "knock" the program, can you?
The U.S. Senate should not take its four-week recess without approving more money for the wildly popular “cash for clunkers” auto rebate program. The House approved additional funding by a 3-to-1 margin. Senators should not be stymied by obstructionism from doing the same — although it appears they may do just that, led, predictably, by Sen. Mitch McConnell.
The program was and is a good idea for several reasons: It provides customers up to $4,500 rebates when they turn in their gas hogs for more fuel-efficient cars. It provides a jumpstart in sales for America's auto industry. And both those efforts put all of us on the road to economic and environmental recovery sooner, rather than later.
Incredibly, the program is being knocked by Mr. McConnell and others precisely because it is so successful. They complain that the initial $1 billion for the program was supposed to last several months but has been snatched up by grateful consumers much sooner than that. Also, other senators, such as Kentucky's Jim Bunning, say they object to selectively helping some industries while allowing others to flail or fail.
These are not serious arguments, especially in light of the number of cars the “cash for clunkers” program has produced.
A Courier-Journal news article reports the program produced a 60 percent increase in weekly new car sales in the days after its July 24 launch, with Ford's fuel-efficient Focus being the top-seller.
As George Pipas, Ford's chief sales analyst, told the Associated Press, “I think probably this is the greatest one-week energy conservation program that may have come out of Washington or anywhere else.”
So why stop now?
The Senate can do the right thing and enact a $2 billion extension for this popular program for all the right reasons. It should do just that by Friday's scheduled recess.
Editor's comment: as for me, I still can't find a raeson to "knock" the program, can you?
Labels: Automobile manufacturing, Economic news
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 12:12 PM
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