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clunkers program done already?
- Thread starter Bob
- Start date
drivingtheview
Beach Lover
Domo Arigato Mr. Obama :dothewave:
Four of Top ‘Clunkers’ Model Purchases Are Foreign (Update1) - Bloomberg.com
scooterbug44
SoWal Expert
I don't want to penalize someone for driving an older car, but I do want us to reduce our dependance on foreign oil/oil in general. Reusing a side mirror or tire does not conflict with this goal. Reusing an engine does.
To get the $4500, you need to increase the fuel efficiency by 10 mpg for a car and 5 mpg for a truck/SUV. That's quite an increase and worth it IMO.
Noone is forcing people to buy new cars and take advantage of this program, but many are - which is helping our citizens, our economy and our planet.
30ashopper
SoWal Insider
I'll take one issue with this. A majority of that spending is on domestic durable good and employment / benefits payments to american citizens. In fact our recent GDP numbers were boyed signifigantly thanks to military related domestic durable goods purchases.
We can discuss whether this money is better spent on something else - unemployment, free healthcare, birdges and roads, or even not at all (we could reduce the national deficit by pulling all our troops back home.) But generally military spending, especially during a major economic downturn, is certainly not wasted. This bares out in current economic data and in historical data from previous wars - military spending is essentially another form of stimulus. So take your pick, cash for clunkers or a new jet plane, the differences in terms of the effects on the economy don't exist.
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Smiling JOe
SoWal Expert
Are you forgetting to take into account all of the energy required to mulch the "clunkers" and create brand new replacements? That, my dear, requires fuel of some sort. How many 30+ year old autos do you see on the road today? You don't typically see them not because there aren't more engines in the junk yards. You see them because people get tired of looking like they ride in an old car, or the expense outweighs the benefit. That too would happen if the gov't stayed the hell out of this.
I really do think that our planet can take care of itself. Don't you? or do you think that people have power over the planet?
scooterbug44
SoWal Expert
Yes, I know it takes some kind of fuel to produce the new cars - but that's a one time use of fuel.
The program has my support - it's doing what it is supposed to! It's taking old, inefficient cars off the road and replacing them with more efficient models that reduce our gas consumption and the emissions going into the air.
Hyundai: Cash for Clunkers to improve fuel-economy by 59% - egmCarTech
Hyundai says that early statistics on the CARS program show an average 59 percent gain in fuel-economy between the clunker and the new vehicle purchased. Hyundai estimates that individual fuel consumption will decrease by 275 gallons per year, resulting in a reduction of fuel-costs by nearly $680 annually at current gas prices.
Additional statistics from the Hyundai sample prove further that the CARS program is truly removing ?clunkers? from the road. Eighty three percent of the initial trades take in a truck, SUV or van and 86 percent of the new vehicles purchased are passenger cars. The average age of a trade-in model is nearly 14 years, and the average odometer reading is more than 140,000 miles. The average ?clunker? achieves about 16 miles per gallon according to EPA data, while the average new car sold under the program achieves more than 25 mpg.
The program has my support - it's doing what it is supposed to! It's taking old, inefficient cars off the road and replacing them with more efficient models that reduce our gas consumption and the emissions going into the air.
Hyundai: Cash for Clunkers to improve fuel-economy by 59% - egmCarTech
Hyundai says that early statistics on the CARS program show an average 59 percent gain in fuel-economy between the clunker and the new vehicle purchased. Hyundai estimates that individual fuel consumption will decrease by 275 gallons per year, resulting in a reduction of fuel-costs by nearly $680 annually at current gas prices.
Additional statistics from the Hyundai sample prove further that the CARS program is truly removing ?clunkers? from the road. Eighty three percent of the initial trades take in a truck, SUV or van and 86 percent of the new vehicles purchased are passenger cars. The average age of a trade-in model is nearly 14 years, and the average odometer reading is more than 140,000 miles. The average ?clunker? achieves about 16 miles per gallon according to EPA data, while the average new car sold under the program achieves more than 25 mpg.
Well I agree that is good stuff. I am for doing what we can, as individuals, to saving our planet. However, the stuff you just cut and pasted is just something to make you feel good. Do you really, really , really think that that stuff will make a difference? Boy---there is alot riding on that question. Please don't just respond with anxiety but think about it with your mind.
scooterbug44
SoWal Expert
Yes, I think things like that can make a difference - hence my support of this program.
Not because I can post stats to "make me feel good" but because I have definite ideas about how the world should be and the far reaching consequences of our individual and collective actions.
Not because I can post stats to "make me feel good" but because I have definite ideas about how the world should be and the far reaching consequences of our individual and collective actions.
Then I respect your opinion if that is what you believe. I am courious on what you believe on how the world should be. Could you post 5 bullet points? Please? Also, maybe, what is our (collective) worse sins as keepers of the earth?