“Cash For Clunkers” Doesn’t Utilize Junkyard Efficiency

New Geography ^ | 8/2/2009 | Andrea Gregovich

[KentuckianaHeadhunter]

My father owned and operated a junkyard in Tucson for a number of years, and I learned a lot about the auto recycling industry helping around the office and as a delivery driver. So as a junkyard enthusiast, the “Cash For Clunkers” program naturally caught my interest lately. Though it looks to be the product of good intentions, I don’t think the legislation understands that junkyards already comprise an efficient, well developed recycling system for salvaging vehicles, with a beneficial result for the environment overall. I’m skeptical that ...

[KentuckianaHeadhunter]

Excellent commentary and analysis of the, as we all know it is, ridiculous program.

[bigbob]

Well, it’s a nice article and all, coming as it does from one of the “little people” whose only claim is decades of experience and profit-making in a private enterprise. But obviously his opinion can’t be compared with the product of a Government Czar with an Master of Smart degree from A Prestigious University and a mind unsullied with the pollution of capitalism and hard work.

[evad]

Unintended consequences...open attack on the poor.

or maybe it wasn't unintended.

[tpmintx]

Ok, so they didn’t completely think thru all the aspects of their program.

Let’s give ‘em control of our entire medical system next.

[Marty62]

I thought recycling was the Gold Standard for the Envirowackos.

[armymarinemom]

My mechanic son sounded like he wanted to puke today while we watched clunker death videos. Apparently it hasn’t hit the news much in Iraq. He was shocked and dismayed.

[passionfruit]

I was shcked too. Some of the “Clunkers” being trashed were nicer and newer than any car we have now.

[armymarinemom]

Some of the “Clunkers” being trashed were nicer and newer than any car we have now.

I took note of the cars surrounding me in traffic at the Bangor Mall yesterday. Mot of those cars ruined looked better than most of the traffic. Maine was poor before the recession. Our poor will be hit awfully hard by programs like this.

[Malsua]

Once again, someone seems to have missed the point.

When the system works normally, and the entire US fleet of automobiles experience a rise in total overall mileage, it can be derived from this number that the overall amount of oil used is down and overall emitted pollution related to vehicles in aggregate is down.

The “czars” then said to themselves, well, all we need to do to raise fleet mileage and oil consumption and pollution will be lessened. Enter Cash for Clunkers.

The edict from on high was “Raise Fleet Mileage”. Cash for Clunkers does this fairly well. However, it short circuits the process and efficiencies that normally would allow it to be deduced that aggregate energy usage and pollution are down. All the efficiencies at the end life of a vehicle are cut out.

There are some mitigating issues in that vehicles that near the end of their usable life emit more pollution. They leak, sensors and emission systems fail, they use crappier tires etc. This is also cut short by the clunkers program but how does one measure pollution avoidance? It’s difficult to measure.

In the end, clunkers may prove to just be a loser or a wash in aggregate energy and pollution or it may be a winner since it does encourage better gas mileage. What we can say definitely is that it’s a taxpayer ripoff. Get yours while you can, its not so often that the gov’t give cheese to people who can afford to buy cars.