clunkers program done already?

As someone who has worked in aging, the way the right has tried to spin that part of health care reform actively angers me. EVERYONE over the age of 55 needs to sit down with their doctor and talk about what their wishes are for a plan for care and who should hold power of attorney for them if they are suddenly in a health crisis and unable to make those kinds of decisions on their own. Because if you don't and have sudden health issues, it gets insanely messy to sort everything out after the fact and you may end up in a situation where your real wishes are not known or respected.

And if you're under that age, you should still discuss with a loved on what your care plan should be if you survive getting hit by a bus.

A fair number of cars from overseas companies are built in the States. My old Corolla was assembled in California; my Subie was born in Indiana. Not quite the same as supporting Detroit, but buying those kinds of cars does tie back into American jobs nonetheless.

I heard on CNN tonight that a majority of the cars purchased were foreign.


We really need to turn healthcare over to these folks, they obviously have their (you know what) together.

I heard on CNN tonight that a majority of the cars purchased were foreign.

My beef with the system is that it should pay out for clunkers that get low gas mileage, or is that part of the criteria?

The cash for clunker requirement in a nutshell are:
Cars--Cars and trucks must be 1984 models or newer. The most recent and complete list of cash for clunkers qualifying cars is HERE.
MPG--Eligible cars must get 18 mpg or less in combined highway/city rating
Paperwork--Owners need to show dealers their car's title, and proof of insurance and registration.
Car Rebates-- $3500 if the car gets at least 4 mpg more than the trade-in or $4500 rebate if the car gets at least 10 mpg or more than trade-in.
Truck Rebates-- For SUV's pick-up or minivans, a rebate of $3500 if the new vehicle gets at least 2 mpg higher than the old vehicle or $4500 if it gets at least 5 mpg more than the trade-in.

I don't understand why people are so upset aboout this program - at least in this scenario we are encouraging people to buy vehicles w/ good fuel efficiency, NOT gas guzzlers whose heavy vehicle weight deteriorates our roads and bridges.

Even if people are buying "foreign" cars (which as others pointed out aren't all that foreign), they are still buying them from a dealer in the US, paying sales tax on them, paying for license plates, titles, etc.

I'd like the MPG improvement requirements to be higher, but even with the additional $2 billion they added to the program, it's still a fraction of the amount of money we outright LOST while shipping pallets of cash to Iraq.

People are buying the products of a hard hit industry, states are getting fees for their bare/empty coffers, and we are putting vehicles on the road that use less gas (which will help keep gas and oil prices low) and release fewer emissions. I see that as a win-win.

Hold the phone??? You mean Obama gave us a measly $1 Billion Federal Government program that any of us could qualify for assuming we meet the specific criteria he outlined. The program ran out of funding after 31 days and 2x the original funding immediately gets released to keep the program alive. Phewww..... Thank goodness Obama can gleam those "lessons learned" over a cold Bud Light and nothing like this will ever happen again

I don't understand why people are so upset aboout this program - at least in this scenario we are encouraging people to buy vehicles w/ good fuel efficiency, NOT gas guzzlers whose heavy vehicle weight deteriorates our roads and bridges.

Even if people are buying "foreign" cars (which as others pointed out aren't all that foreign), they are still buying them from a dealer in the US, paying sales tax on them, paying for license plates, titles, etc.

I'd like the MPG improvement requirements to be higher, but even with the additional $2 billion they added to the program, it's still a fraction of the amount of money we outright LOST while shipping pallets of cash to Iraq.

People are buying the products of a hard hit industry, states are getting fees for their bare/empty coffers, and we are putting vehicles on the road that use less gas (which will help keep gas and oil prices low) and release fewer emissions. I see that as a win-win

Since the Bush administration wiped their asses with it for eight years I'm surprised you could even read it.

how???

For some reason those videos made me sad. One thing is for sure, that last Jeep did not give up without a serious fight! Go Jeep!

Just Announced: If you have a wife or husband with bad gas, the govt. is now allowing you to get the $4,500 trade in for them as well.