What's With This Clunker Thing?

If you want to disagree with most Americans, simply argue against the need for the recent Cash for Clunkers program. Well, here's your chance to disagree with me since I was not a big fan of the Clunkers program.

It's not that I am against reasonable federal stimulus spending. I supported the need for the $780 billion dollar stimulus program because I believed (and I still do) that the United States (and most of the world) was on a financial precipice and was about to fall into an abyss of possible depression-era proportions. As unpalatable as it was, significant economic pump-priming was absolutely necessary.

The financial bail out of General Motors and Chrysler is a more difficult call. America could have survived without the billions of dollars in public funds that were poured into their coffers. On the other hand, the monies probably saved a lot of jobs and helped stabilize the overall economic picture.

Other public financial subsidies, such as those given to first-time home buyers, have have been moderately successful because they are closely targeted to new home buyers, helping to decrease the glut of homes (many foreclosed upon) that heavily contributed to the financial melt-down.

I do have, however, a fundamental philosophical problem with providing public funds to the tune of $3,500 - $4,500 to help my neighbor and your friend buy a new car that they would eventually buy anyway. Even with the stipulation that the new car had to provide better gas mileage than the car being turned in to be scrapped, spending $3 billion on such a program sets an unwise precedent that will be difficult to hide under tomorrow's rug when the next "great stimulus idea" is proposed.

One might argue that a measly $3 billion public subsidy is chump change compared to the billions (do I hear trillions or am I unable to count that high because my teachers never taught me?) already spent to dig our country out of the financial hole that is completely of our own greedy making. I disagree. Principles matter, and I don't believe that the Biblical scripture to help your fellow man/woman applies to buying him/her a new car.

I'll understand if you yell at me for appearing to be selfish or self-centered.

Coming Soon. . .

1) A neglected slice of Fresno finally gets city water.
2) Fresno's choices on high speed rail and rail consolidation.
3) Chugging along with Fresno's proposed Bus Rapid Transit System.

Comments are welcome. Click on "Comments" below or e-mail me at abriancalhoun@gmail.com.