Fwd: CASH FOR CLUNKERS: TRADE IN AMERICAN; BUY FOREIGN

CASH FOR CLUNKERS: TRADE IN AMERICAN; BUY FOREIGN

By DICK MORRIS & EILEEN MCGANN

Published on DickMorris.com on August 10, 2009

The only part of the stimulus program that is working, the cash-for-clunkers
program is, in reality, a subsidy to foreign car companies, proving that
Barack Obama is the best president Japan ever had.

The Department of Transportation reports that the ten leading trade-ins are
all American branded cars while six of the top ten new cars purchased - and
four of the top five - are foreign. So the United States Senate is about to
pass additional funds to subsidize the trade-in of American cars and the
purchase of foreign cars.

DOT reports that the following are the ten top trade-ins, all American:

Ten Top Trade-Ins Under Cash for Clunkers

1. Ford Explorer
2. Ford F150 Pickup 2WD
3. Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 WD
4. Jeep Cherokee 4 WD
5. Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan
6. Chevrolet Blazer 4 WD
7. Ford Explorer 2 WD
8. Ford F150 Pickup 4 WD
9. Chevrolet C1500 Pickup 2 WD
10. Ford Windstar FWD Van

And the top ten new car purchases, subsidized by the American taxpayer, are
mainly foreign vehicles:

Top Ten New Car Purchases: Cash for Clunkers

1. Toyota Corolla
2. Ford Focus FWD
3. Honda Civic
4. Toyota Prius
5. Toyota Camry
6. Ford Escape FWD
7. Hyndai Elantra
8. Dodge Caliber
9. Honda Fit
10. Chevrolet Cobalt

It is a violation of the World Trade Organization rules to enact a public
subsidy program and skew it toward only domestically produced products, so
the Congress has no choice but to extend the program to all comers. No
choice, that is, but to not spend the money in the first place.

Cash for Clunkers will do wonders for the Japanese economy, but its impact
on the US job situation is problematic. This unintended consequence is a
great illustration of what happens when the blunt tool of government subsidy
is applied to the fine tuning of a free market economy. Government planners
keep getting it wrong. That's why socialism is such a bad idea.

So Obama can boast of a great success in taking American cars off the road
and replacing them with foreign cars. Great going!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

This guy is citing WTO as an argument? Too funny.

Gee, domestic models sell less well than foreign. Well, you guys wanted a free market. I suppose the program could have been restricted to domestic models only, but I'm sure Dick would have found something else to bitch about.

Honda and Toyota have manufacturing plants in the US, so CFC is helping to support US jobs.

Anonymous said...

Well, if GM hadn't spent the last decade making tanks who's fuel economy wasn't measured in gallons per mile, they be selling better now...

Anonymous said...

If GM and Chrysler's CEOs hadn't spent the last 2 decades RIPPING OFF the profits, while investing nearly nothing into in R&D and better designed cars & trucks, then perhaps people everywhere would be interested in buying their products. But, hey, it's a "free market," and, like W, they were "free" to drive their companies into the ground.

But like the good ole boy Republicants that they are, they paid themselves first and foremost, while ignoring customer interest and demand, and now toe-rag sucking Dick Morris is whining about it.

Go blow yourself, Dick!

And as the other post says, many of the "foreign" cars sold in the USA are made here by US citizens, who are benefiting from this program.

Go blow yourself again, Dick!

Stentor said...

9 of the 10 models listed are produced domestically by automakers, regardless of their corporate headquarters location, so it still results in more jobs being created here in the US.

Anonymous said...

Agreed to all those posting before me on the hypocrisy of the e-mail and on the American jobs front.

One question (not necessarily to y'all, who I judge to be rational and intelligent human beings): Why is it a bad thing to trade in American cars? Will our patriotism wane if we park at a Wal-Mart amidst mostly foreign automobiles? Are American cars safer, which means that fewer of them on the road will lead to more deaths? (I can answer that myself, actually: NO.) Are American cars specially blessed by God and this will turn American into a heathen wasteland? Does driving an American car make you a more moral, more patriotic, more intelligent, more attractive parent/citizen/person?

If that all sounds insane, then why is it bad to trade in American cars whether we are trading them in for domestically-produced or imported cars, motorcycles, hot air balloons, bicycles, Reeboks, bus passes or Cheetos? (Although I will admit, one of those things will not help you get to work.)

Anonymous said...

In response to last Anon post (which I "get" what you're saying): frankly, there are 2 main reasons why contards are angry and will NEVER ever like anything about this Admin:

1. For the wealthy, more educated nutjobs, it's all about the fact that their side is not in power. It's not even so much about taxes, although that plays a big part. But it's more about schoolyard bullies who can never, ever share, never, ever take turns. As long as they are not in charge, than everything that the current Admin does is, de regeur, WRONG, BAD, MISGUIDED, stupid, worthless, horrid, you name it. As Hillary said, if Obama walked on water, rightards would say it's bc he can't swim.

2. The un/undereducated rednecks, mostly from the South (but not only), will always hate & fear the current Admin mainly bc NObummer's black. But in the case of white Bill Clinton, they stoked the fires of fear & hatred by saying he was pro-abortion, he screwed around (even tho when Repugnitards do the same - or worse - it's just fine & dandy), & HILLARY: booga booga. So, their sexism, bigotry, fear & so on are just stoked to a burning point by their coporate overlords who totally manipulate them.

The end. That's it in a nutshell. Doesn't matter what program or initiative you talk about, it's all wrong, all of the time, 24/7/365.

katz said...

True conversation I had with a staunchly Republican boyfriend:

"We should only buy American cars! They're better!"

"Why are they better?"

"They're all made from parts that are made in the US!"

Well, if you define "better" as "made in the USA," then I guess American cars are better. However, most of the rest of us define "better" in terms of how the car performs, etc.

 
Creative Commons License
MyRightWingDad.net is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.