Here's a few tips for people heading into dealerships with a trade-in that wasn't a clunker:
Trade-in valuable without &#39Clunkers&#39 cash

 

You're so silly.

Say, you aren't one of those execs that got a million dollar bonus, are you?

If I have a choice between one rich moron getting even more money, or helping out 222 people with getting a more efficient car, I choose the latter.

Sure, I'd prefer that the ones who need the extra funds the most to get the help. And not the dumbass who trades one SUV for another SUV.

I had an idea years back, that I still think is a splendid idea. On the tax forms, there is the option to choose to have a dollar directed to something.

I'd like to see more options on the tax forms. I want to see things like roads and highways, education, medicare, whatever it is our tax dollars go to. I want to be able to select to give additional funding for what *I* think matters.

Those execs that got bonuses can rot. They already get a good salary, and if they can't manage their own funds to make that money stretch (like the rest of us try to do on far, FAR less), they sure as heck ought not be getting a bonus.

We ALL benefit from lower emissions. I cannot think of one single benefit I personally receive that has to do with an executives million dollar bonus. I don't know anyone who benefits at all from some executive's bonus. It doesn't help me. Or my neighbors. Or my city.

 

Right there with you, smaglik

If I had half as many cars as my wife has shoes I'd need my own car park to house them in.

 

and another thing on this.......i guarantee that a ton of new cars that were bought with the CFC program will be repo'd within the next two years. the reason most of these people were driving clunkers is because they can't AFFORD new cars!

the government needs to stop paying people to fail at life, if you can't afford kids don't have kids, if you can't afford a new car don't get a new car......don't make me pay for you! especially if i don't want to buy a new car for myself

 

Sorry Guitar Trance! In another thread some of us had talked briefly about the corporate bailouts. Wall Street, banks. The BILLIONS of dollars that went to them, supposedly to keep the bank afloat, ended up in part going into execs pockets as bonuses (a bonus when the business fails, huh?).

That is what I was referring to. That I would rather have money go to "everyday people" than have it go to an executives bonus when their company has failed miserably.

I agree with politicians getting far too much money for what they do. I think they are just as greedy as most other people are, who want to get their share and keep it and NOT share it with anyone else.

The forced sharing can breed resentment. But I'm glad for other people. Some (not all) of the stories showed people who really did need another car. Those people weren't buying the $45,000 max priced auto. They were buying a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic or Fit.

A base manual Fit with a $4,500 discount brings the amount financed WAY down. Combined with the gas savings (and not having to do car repairs), their payments will be about as low as possible for a new car.

I didn't mean to get you mad. With all the things I've seen happen, I think this is the only time in my life that I got to see regular people benefit directly from a huge government program. It makes me happy. And, no, I didn't get my car via the CARS program.

I think this is a very interesting book, which will probably make you mad...not at me, but at the laws that were passed and what corporations do with their money:
Amazon.com: America: Who Really Pays the Taxes? (9780671871574): Donald L. Barlett: Books

How was it that in the 50's, people could afford a car and a house on a single income? That book will answer the question.

You'll read of magically disappearing money that would make Houdini look like a rookie, and how making business off-shore deprives the government of vast amounts of taxes.

The challenge for us is to try to change some of the laws back to what they once were, so that we can indeed choose where our money goes.

The result of the current taxation is the following income parade (it's older, though):

Income Parade Every person in America would line up according to their annual income,
Those with less income would be at the front of the parade, those with higher
income would be at the back of the parade.
The entire parade would last an hour.
Individual income would be shown physically by height measurement. (Those
with less income would be shorter, those with more income would be
taller.)
The current average height is 5’11".
The current average household income in America is $43,000.00.
In the first 1 ½ minutes the lowest income families would pass. Those who suffered
losses. Usually in small businesses. These people would be the height of a
blade of grass.
By the time 5minutes had passed in the parade, people would be the size of cigarettes.
At 8 minutes people would be 1’ tall- (This is about 10% of the people in the U.S.
There have been more women then men so far. About 1/5 of those who have
passed are single mothers. 1/5 are elderly women. Most don’t have jobs, they
depend on government programs. There are some cases of malnutrition. There is
a disproportionate number of minorities.
At 20 minutes, 1/3 of the procession has gone by. People are 3’ tall. They are making
about $20,000.00 a year. Many females are in this group. Most of them are
employed. (some facts: about $400 a month is spent on housing, they have little
to no savings, 1/3 have health insurance, they live pay-check to pay-check.)
After 30-36 minutes people are about 4’ 8". This is the medium income of $32,000.00.
After 37 minutes people have reached the average height and income. These are low-
level managers and senior blue-collar workers. Usually there are 2 incomes in
these homes. (facts: these people do take occasional vacations, few have savings.
At 50 minutes people are over 10’ tall. The average income here is $80,000.00. almost all
families have 2 incomes. Majority of these people are white. They are middle
and upper level officers.
With 5 minutes left, people are 15’ tall and make $110,000.00. usually only 1 salary.
With 3 minutes left, people are 50’ tall and making $500,000.00. Highly successful
professionals
With 2 minutes left, people are 200’ tall, $1,000,000.00 income. This represents about
70 thousand families.
At the end of the parade people are 1,000s of feet tall.
Income Parade

 

Yes, I bet that is what Haiti wants and needs, our junky old cars. Something tells me an island nation with severe social and medical problems can do better than my 13 year old Ford Aerostar in need of more than a thousand dollars worth of repairs.

Well, since you appear to be spouting off about a search you have already done, I would request that you share it with us. Until then, I will simply expect that you have forgotten how to count.

Scientific opinion on climate change - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of scientists opposing the mainstream scientific assessment of global warming - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

List of authors from Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I believe it's called the rigors of the scientific method. Scientific method - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Uhm, I think the air belongs to everybody.

That being said, this is not necessarily solely about 'global climate change'.. but it's also about many other things. Emissions are not just carbon dioxide.

I more than doubled my gas mileage, and significantly improved my emissions by participating in this program, and I'm not just talking about CO2.

Many many cars which qualified, including the FIT, are ULEV, PZEV, etc.

Have you ever heard of Asthma or many other medical ailments affected and potentially caused by pollution?
Recent evidence for adverse effects of residential proximity... : Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine

How about the effects of smog, acid rain or other numerous impacts that are largely caused by man made pollution, including of course our automotive emissions? Heck, even here we have discussed the impact on our paint and coatings of our cars.

 

Are there no moderators on this forum? On other forums in which I participate, moderators would have banned guitar_trance by now. I thought this was a car forum? If you want to rant about politics, do so in a political forum -- there are plenty of them out there -- and stop wasting bandwidth here.

 

Wait, I thought you were done with this line of discussion...?

Facts are not the same thing as opinions. Try dictionary.com for that one.

If you dispute the facts, fine, but provide evidence for your opinion.

At very least the facts on the wikipedia pages that I referenced are largely verifiable. Anyways, I was only using those as a basis of reference for your rant. Do you really think I take wikipedia as the sole arbiter of what is true? No, of course not, but it's a good reference point to start with.



Er, no, my request for sources was basically to say: "uhm, whether I agree with you or not, your statement is so ridiculously far off that if you want anybody to take you seriously, you need to back up your statements with verifiable information, and/or make more accurate statements."

I did. You saw some easy references. Whether I agree with the common global climate change theory or not, it is quite clear and well-known that a majority of scientists do, and there are relatively few scientists who debate or disagree with that theory in comparison. There are certainly not "just as many scientists" who disbelieve as who believe. "More than enough" is probably a better way of putting it, but I think you could still make a more accurate statement.

Eh. Global warming is not my term. Global climate change is a widely used acceptable term, don't blame me because you are simply not aware. Global warming is misleading, because it does not clearly state all the related changes in climate. Also, there is something called Global dimming which may also be a result of pollution.

Anyways, I am done feeding the trolls for the day. I'd much rather go back to feeding, and talking about, my gas sipping FIT that I got with help thanks to the C4C program.

 

There should be no banning!

It's so hard to tell online what anyone's mood is. Or what they meant. Usually I'm kind of joking around and being goofy. But not everyone knows that, and if they were to think I was being mean, then they'd get upset.

Also, some things DO push our buttons. Something near and dear to our hearts that really bothers us. When that happens to me, I usually explode...and do you know how hard it is to get my foot out of my mouth when my head is in my butt?

I do like it when people have differing opinions. Not so much arguing or debating, but learning. If I'm stuck in my own mindset where "you're entitled to your opinion, as long as it agrees with mine" rules, I won't LEARN anything new.

I LIKE learning new things. I like knowing where information comes from, where an opinion is formed. Makes the world a much more interesting place.

 

I know!

Let's all hold hands and sing the Coca-Cola song!

"I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony..."

No, it's not acceptable to break the coke bottle and threaten someone...

 

danggit i meant to neg someone but i posirepped them not you taffeta or guitar i wonder who that leaves

 

your posts contain some good points. but, the way you present them makes you come off as a douchebag. you get more with honey...