Cash for Clunkers
Advice for Policymakers: Time to Check Your Blind Spots
Last week, I left my Washington home, walked to the nearby Metro station, rode a train downtown, walked to the National Press Club, and settled in to hear Steven Rattner, former head of the Obama administration's auto task force, declare that "no one has yet invented a substitute for the automobile."
October 27, 2009
A Last Word on ‘Cash for Clunkers’
One thing the government's CARS program -- a.k.a. "cash for clunkers" -- has clearly stimulated is commentary. For a policy involving a shade under $3 billion in federal spending, it has enjoyed no shortage of media coverage.
September 2, 2009
‘Clunkers’ Consequences: GM Sales Down, Ford Gas-Guzzlers Up
When Congress tripled the size of the "cash for clunkers" program in July, both Congress and the White House billed the $3 billion program as a boon for struggling domestic automakers. But when those Detroit car companies released sales figures today, the numbers didn't quite match up to the hype.
September 1, 2009
Few Cries From Congress for a Second Resurrection of “Cash for Clunkers”
One day after the Obama administration announced it would end the "cash for clunkers" program for good, the auto-state lawmakers who championed its creation have largely aligned with the decision and refrained from pushing for a third installment of the taxpayer-subsidized auto-purchase rebates.
August 21, 2009
As “Cash for Clunkers” Sputters, a Privately Funded Spinoff Picks Up
The U.S. DOT began signaling yesterday that it would bring the "cash for clunkers" program to an end amid growing unease from auto dealers about the government's slow pace of reimbursement and General Motors' decision to begin fronting "clunkers" repayments to its own salesmen.
August 20, 2009
“Cash for Clunkers” Coming to a Close?
The Obama administration plans to close the door on the politically popular and environmentally slipshod auto trade-in program known as "cash for clunkers," according to a report this afternoon in the Wall Street Journal:
August 19, 2009
Could Electric-Car Tax Credits Become the Next “Cash for Clunkers”?
The White House's commitment to electrified cars, fulfilling an Obama campaign promise to put 1 million plug-in hybrids into service by 2015, is bound to have serious ramifications for the nation's already-crumbling system of paying for transportation.
August 14, 2009
The Times’ Thickheaded Train Tag Team
The New York Times has now turned loose writers at two of its economics blogs to make weak arguments against the construction of high-speed rail lines.
August 14, 2009
A Better — and Cooler — Version of “Cash for Clunkers”
During the Senate's debate over giving $2 billion more to the "cash for clunkers" car rebate program, John McCain (R-AZ) quipped that "cash for refrigerators" might be next in line.
August 12, 2009
Citigroup’s “Cash for Clunkers” Contract Worth $7.7 Million
The U.S. DOT never responded to Streetsblog Capitol Hill's request for a copy of the contract that Citigroup -- which remains one-third-owned by the government after taking a $45 billion bailout -- received to process car dealer claims under the "cash for clunkers" program. But Dow Jones did pry loose one key detail on Friday, reporting that the deal is worth "an estimated" $7.7 million.
August 10, 2009