Gov Puts Breaks On ‘Cash For Clunkers’
You may recall back in June, I wrote two posts on the silly ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program spurred on by Congressman Rothman. In my initial post I questioned just how the program would be paid for – and in my second post the Heritage Foundation affirmed my concern, indicating that only $1B of the necessary $4B needed for the program was set aside.
Well, apparently Heritage’s prediction has become reality. According to the AP, the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program is being forced to a grinding halt because of a lack of funds.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Congressional officials say the government plans to suspend the popular “cash for clunkers” program amid concerns it could quickly use up the $1 billion in rebates for new car purchases.
The Transportation Department called congressional offices late Thursday to alert them to the decision to halt the program, which offered owners of old cars and trucks $3,500 or $4,500 toward a new, more fuel-efficient vehicle.
The congressional officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Through late Wednesday, 22,782 vehicles had been purchased through the program and nearly $96 million had been spent. But dealers raised concerns of large backlogs in the system, prompting the suspension.
Further Entangles Government in Market: The program has already spent $150 million and has another $800 million to $850 million in obligations. What that means is that the nation’s auto dealers have already paid car buyers almost a billion dollars but are still waiting for their cash from the federal government. The USA Today reports: “Carmakers and dealers have booked expensive advertising to capitalize on buyers’ interest in CARS, and now will be left promoting a tie-in with a discontinued government program — one that wasn’t supposed to end until Nov. 1. “Disappointed,” said Chrysler spokesman Scott Brown. “It’s too late to recall the ads,” says Beau Boeckmann of Galpin Ford, the nation’s largest Ford dealer, in Los Angeles. “We had increased our ad budget to get the word out. We are very heavy on radio, newspaper and getting direct mail together,” Boeckmann says. “Now what do you tell people when they walk in” for a clunker deal? “It’s tough.”
I still like my 2000 Silverado. If I traded it in, I would just get another truck.
July 31st, 2009 at 12:45 pmBesides, we’re trying to buy a house, and we don’t need another payment right now.
According to Gleen Beck (as shown on his television program this afternoon), the government requires dealers participating in the program to agree to the following condition as part of their online application for the rebate:
“This application provides access to the DoT CARS system. When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a Federal computer system and is the property of the U.S.Government.Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected, and disclosed to authorized CARS,Dot,and law enforcement personel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies both domestic and foreign.”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/07/31/glenn_beck_exposes_carsgov_privacy_agreement_that_taps_into_users_pc.html
I have not been able to confirm this report, but Glenn Beck is usually pretty careful about the facts that he reports. If someone can verify or contradict the veracity of this story, I would appreciate it.
If the story is true, remember that the people who have implemented this policy are the same ones who screamed that the Patriot Act was an unconstitutional violation of privacy rights.
July 31st, 2009 at 6:32 pmEd,
I think that is standard boilerplate stuff. I deal with sensitive networks. This helps make sure that viruses and other malware does not compromise the system. Because of this type of restriction, companies will usually have dedicated systems and networks to avoid others from seeing proprietary information.
July 31st, 2009 at 6:46 pmDi Marco:
It is standard for the Federal government to become the “owner” of your computer if you log into a government program? It is standard for the government to be able to “intercept, monitor, record, copy, audit, and inspect…all files” on that computer…and then to disclose such information to law enforcement agencies both domestic and foreign?
You may well be right. But if you are, then why did the same people who objected to the Patriot Act not insist that this “standard practice” be part of the “change” Obama brought to Washington?
July 31st, 2009 at 7:10 pmI do not know if it is “standard”. I do know that companies have made requirements such as software patch updates, level of anti-virus software, etc. mandatory before another system can touch their network.
Also, it is common for help desk personnel to be given remote access to someone else’s system to troubleshoot problems. Once you have that, you de facto have the ability to “intercept, monitor, record, copy, audit, and inspect…all files” on that computer.
July 31st, 2009 at 8:32 pmI write services that allow me to view everything on your computer through TCPIP. Believe me, this is STANDARD stuff and as long as you are connected to the web you can kiss your privacy goodbye! Don’t be ridiculous, the government is the last thing you should be worried about! There are kids in Junior High that can “intercept, monitor, record, copy, audit, and inspect” everything you do on a computer.
This is the twenty-first century. Bit don’t worry; I’m not the one with the narcissistic personality disorder!
August 5th, 2009 at 2:39 pmFielding blathers: “Don’t be ridiculous, the government is the last thing you should be worried about!”
Actually, at this point in time it is the FIRST thing I worry about. But then, such things don’t concern Statists like you, do they?
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