The Glade 4.0

The average MPG for vehicles turned in was 15mpg.
The average MPG of vehicles purchased in the program was 25mpg.
The average driver drives 12,000 miles a year.

That is an average savings of 320 gallons per year per car.

That is about 5 million barrels of oil per year.

The steady average cost of a barrel of oil is 70 dollars, thus the yearly savings of the program is 350 million.

The average person owns a car for 6 years so the average ownership of a clunker was 3 - which means they would be on the road for average of 3 more years.

350million *3 = a little over 1 billion dollars in savings.

We spent 3 billion on the program to save 1 billion.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

You forget all the profit to the businesses, the loan interest, the warranty income, the higher insurance costs, the more repairs that have to be done by mechanics because so many of the cars are now beyond DIY repairs.

Of course there is also the lower carbon footprints of the newer cars, less polution = green victory.

Looking at it only in terms of tax dollars spent on a pork project, yeah, we're behind in the game, but look at all the side benefits. Sorry if I sound funny, talking with the tongue in my cheek is awkward.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

This just in, reducing emissions costs money. Of course it costs money. If you could save money by reducing emissions, everyone would be doing it already.

I can reduce emissions by killing half the life on the planet.

Define why reducing emissions should be forced on individuals?

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

I think the word you want is "explain", not "define". I also don't really see why you switched gears from explaining the economic cost of reducing emissions in the form of cash for clunkers to "why should it be forced on individuals?"

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Likely because I'm at work for 12 hours with 2 hours sleep.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

How is a voluntary program forcing the buyers to participate?

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

The taxpayers are co-buyers Micheal.

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"...but there exists also in the human heart a depraved taste for equality, which impels the weak to attempt to lower the powerful to their own level and reduces men to prefer equality in slavery to inequality with freedom." - De Tocqueville

There are many things we as taxpayers foot the bill for, that I would rather not have the government spend money on. We do not get a personal line item veto over every financial decision our representatives make. If we did, the wheels of government would grind to a halt and nothing would ever get done.

This is just another one of those stupid programs we have no control over. It happened too fast with too little discussion. It was a gamble to see if people with the worst polluters would choose to buy new cars and stimulate the economy if the government, i.e. all of us, offered to help them out with the purchase price. I didn't particularly support it, I just kind of shook my head and groaned.

It worked, people bought new cars. It failed to stimulate the economy in a meaningful way.

You figured out that the economy was doomed a long time ago Elmo. Nitpicking every decision and gambit along the way is not going to make it fall any faster or slower. Enjoy your 'I told you so' moments.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

But by incentivizing car purchases, Americans take on more personal debt, eliminating capital from being used for a more valued purpose.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

The more valued part of that equation depends on whether your income derives from servicing that personal debt now, doesn't it.

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The U. S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself. B. Franklin

"A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone." -- Tyrion Lannister, A Game of Thrones

No it doesn't. It's not more valued because capital isn't freely flowing there (or not to a degree deemed "desired" by our government) without the incentive. Were it doing so, the incentive wouldn't need to exist.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones