tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post473562950035179801..comments2024-02-29T18:18:06.972-08:00Comments on Thoughts on Liberty, Economics & Life...: Cash for Clunkers = Horrible Economic PolicyJack Chamblesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16714642268269970475noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-59971499843943116572009-08-19T07:35:49.573-07:002009-08-19T07:35:49.573-07:00Cara,
With the massive movement of government to ...Cara,<br /><br />With the massive movement of government to take or manage large parts of the economy, an income tax increase on those who make less than the $250,000 mark would ruin whatever credibility Mr. Obama has left. Don't rule out other tax increases (payroll, social security, value-added, energy, etc.) to try to pay for all of this.Jack Chamblesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16714642268269970475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-55326166716291072522009-08-19T02:01:04.444-07:002009-08-19T02:01:04.444-07:00Keep taking the bait America and soon enough you&#...Keep taking the bait America and soon enough you'll get caught. <br /><br />Professor Chambless,<br /> I know that we are going to pay for all of this in the form of taxes, but do you think the Obama administration is going to try and hold out to see if they can get him elected for another term before they make an income tax increase?Carahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10794572941444010846noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-90225647618713618232009-08-16T08:35:46.552-07:002009-08-16T08:35:46.552-07:00As you mentioned professor, the unintended consequ...As you mentioned professor, the unintended consequence of the “Cash for Clunkers” program will be that inexpensive used cars that could have been bought by people who couldn’t afford a new car—or who could afford one but just weren’t interested in buying a new car (i.e., just wanted to save money by buying a cheaper used car)—are now being destroyed.<br /><br />Well, forceably reducing the supply of used cars while the demand for used cars has actually grown (because of the recession) will probably also have the unintended consequence of driving up the cost of used cars. <br /><br />Here’s a quote from a USA TODAY article:<br />http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009-08-09-cars-cash-clunkers_N.htm<br /><br />Now, the clunker program could cause prices to rise 5% to 10% more, especially for vehicles worth $4,500 or less, says Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "It’s going to drive prices up of some of the most affordable vehicles we have on the road.”<br /><br />Higher prices—that should really “help” people who are struggling to make ends meet. Here’s something to pass on to our “caring, compassionate” members of Congress who voted for this clunker of a program.<br /><br />http://jim.com/econ/Jason and Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00484295976556063228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-15399639498838768342009-08-14T10:52:21.511-07:002009-08-14T10:52:21.511-07:00By the way, doesn’t the Government owe us a new GM...By the way, doesn’t the Government owe us a new GM car already?? I mean haven’t we already paid for it? Only in America can we the People pay billions of dollars for a nothing. And applaud the Government for doing it. Personally, I say we start a country wide petition that says we the people feel that the now owned by our socialist Government GM should and better start paying us back for our future tax burden in the form of new cars. I mean if we walk onto a dealership lot with no money then they throw us off the property, but it is fine for them to demand money from us in the form of extortion of high layoffs and give us nothing in return. I am not an award winning economist, nor am I even a novice, but something smells pretty rank with the whole Automotive and Government conglomeration that has been going on lately. And like every other time that something like this has happened we have had to take the ridicule from every other country because we allow this to happen. Hell, we pay them to screw us over. Does anyone want to start a third political party? We can have an austrage as our political symbol, that way we can show the world what we are really all about. <br /><br />David Huff<br />Angry AmericanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-52384993720446670562009-08-13T04:57:27.825-07:002009-08-13T04:57:27.825-07:00This article, like many others has helped to illus...This article, like many others has helped to illustrate just how out of touch people really are with the workings of the economy. I personally know three people who went out and bought new cars when there was nothing wrong with the ones they had, and they were paid for. One of them bought a new #### truck for 20,000 dollars. The dealer gave him 2500 for his old car and then the 4,500 for the "automotive assistance program" So he paid 14,000 plus change for the truck. He was all happy till I showed him last week’s paper that had an insert that showed the same truck for 12,500 from the same dealer. So, after I educated him on his apparent stupidity about how the dealer just raised the cost of the truck to insure that they made the same money off of him as they would have before, he became bitter and decided to leave. And he did in his polar bear saving 325 dollar a month truck payment. Now he just has to figure out how to pay his rent and child support. This is just one example of how our Government is using ignorance to make people think they are doing something advantages. Yet, like all the other times most people fall into it without even thinking about the long term problems that arise from those rash actions. After seeing how trickle up economics was not acted upon, the people having less and less and depending on the government more and more, a Supreme Court with "empathy for the people", and now talk about fixing the health care problem in this country; I have grown quite wise to the concept of miss-direction by the government. Everything our Government touches turns to tragedy, and we will have to pay the price one day. I ask “Continental Congress anyone”, or should we all just bury our heads in the sand and say thank you Government Daddy and Corporate Mother??? I kind of feel like I am watching the two old guys that sat in the balcony on the original Muppet show.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-58902584714228770752009-08-03T09:29:26.697-07:002009-08-03T09:29:26.697-07:00So true. This is Luke Kelly, by the way... I re...So true. This is Luke Kelly, by the way... I read a quote in the WSJ from a car dealer talking about the Cash for Clunkers program. Paraphrased he said "This is a great program, but it's also one of the most poorly run programs I've ever seen" Of course, it's a great program....FOR HIM... <br />QUESTION: Is there any argument to be made for government action (such as the Cash for Clunkers program) on the grounds that it prevents people from making an irrational decision NOT to buy a car because of economic fears?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07132394980478047928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-34583818148276711882009-08-02T19:27:05.686-07:002009-08-02T19:27:05.686-07:00No, they are destroying the engines. The rest of ...No, they are destroying the engines. The rest of the car can be sold off as scrap though.Jack Chamblesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16714642268269970475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5439938886895118276.post-69022246070619337022009-08-02T06:55:21.663-07:002009-08-02T06:55:21.663-07:00I heard we were "helping" the global env...I heard we were "helping" the global environment by selling the engines to china. Is that true?<br /><br />Thanks for the blog, i love hearing your thoughts on things.Lindseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07710007534061234232noreply@blogger.com