Why this administration didn’t put tht $4500.00 into the hands of qualified Americans the day they took office to go out and stimulate the economy is still way beyond my comprehension.   Instead, they let the jobs go away, due to Americans not spending and here we sit today….a ridiculous bailout for the car industry.   What should also be mentioned are those dealerships who fronted the $4500.00 to buyers and our government behind in reimbursing them.   Some dealerships are out over $2 million dollars….waiting for yet another ill thought out plan from Obama to do what it was actually meant to do.   Although there is now more money appropriated for this plan….the government just can’t seem to get anything done smoothly or correctly…..another three years to go…deeper and deeper in debt….and nothing to show for it.   Combine that with our used car business which has taken a devastating hit as the Cash for Clunkers is for new cars.   You would think these hand picked Harvard guys would use some common sense and look at the whole picture before throwing money at a problem.

Bailing out the car industry never would’ve been necessary if Obama had addressed our small businesses with tax cuts and low interest loans.   He would’ve saved thousands of jobs if he had given the American people money to spend within 60 days to buy household appliances, tires for their cars, clothes,  catch up on mortgage payments…well, you know where I am going with this.  

Instead…..what did he think was more important?   Experience really matters in times like these when you are electing a new president.   We live and learn.   Let’s hope Americans have learned a valuable lesson as we face enormous debt for the next 10 to 15 years brought on by an inexperienced administration.

China got it right.   We didn’t.

Ladies and gentlemen, if you are having trouble understanding why Americans don’t trust this administration on the Healthcare bill this is a very good example of why.    Cash for Clunkers "took off more than they anticipated and they didn’t appropriate enough money."    Remember that excuse.   That will be used again and again with healthcare reform.

Karen,  with all due respect, please, please check your sources.   We cannot keep blaming Bush for these problems.  "Big Oil" as you put it, is not the cause of the bailout fiasco.  Had these companies been left to break down naturally, go bankrupt, restructure etc., you would see how free-market economics actually works to make an industry more efficient and cleans house of greed and corruption.  And, most of the automakers have been working on fuel efficient, or non-fuel models all along.  Again, these would have been introduced to the public, created competition among companies, kept the prices within reason and removed gas guzzlers from the highways.  Now, we have fewer options, some forced to the market before they are proven.  How many Americans will pay $40,000 plus for the all-electric Chevy Volt.  It is impractical, has not been proven and the cost of replacing the battery is between $5000-$7,000.  Check the data on the problems surfacing with the Toyota Prius.  Again, who wants that?  While doing your reseach, you may find that charitable organizations are suffering greatly as a result of these so-called "clunkers" being taken out of circulation (most of which have mpg’s only one to three points above the cut-off).  Many people would have donated these cars, received a tax write-off and helped someone in need.  Also, the top four sellers in this program are foreign made cars (how does that help the U.S. economy?), it has actually stimulated the sales of mid-size SUV’s, and it has left car lots devoid of good, used, affordable cars.  Many families can not afford a new car (even with an incentive).  Please stop blaming the past administration for what squarely rests on Obama’s shoulders.