Comments on: Is the Klunker Commission Really Just a Cash Cow for the Car Industry?

By: martin

martin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:50:35 +0000

The bill is actually worse than the article descibes. Someone with a gas guzzler that gets 18 mpg can trade it in on another gas guzzler that gets 22mpg and still get $3500. If it’s an 18mpg SUV or truck the new SUV only has to get 20mpg. It doesn’t matter what I trade my 35mpg Aveo on, I don’t get squat. I would call it a bailout for the auto industry if it required the cars to be made in the USA. It doesn’t. Take a good look at the demographic that benefits from this bill and the demographic that doesn’t. People whose egos demand that they drive huge vehicles get subsidized. Those of us who have tried to do the right thing along get taken for granted.

By: carfree

carfree — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:29:43 +0000

I would prefer to focus on creating livable cities where people are not slaves to a car to eat, live and play. walkable, bikeable communities connected by rail is much more humane than 16 lane highways filled with fuel efficient moving death traps.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:11:13 +0000

The reason for requiring that you purchase a new car in order to receive the rebate is if you purchase a used car you have not “added” a new high efficiency car to the national fleet of cars. The only way to increase the overall efficiency of the entire national fleet is to put new high efficiency cars on the road.