CASH FOR CLUNKERS

Yes, I know. I've been slacking in my blogging duties, but a week of vacation and two children will do that to ya' from time to time. Besides, if New York Times columnists can take a few weeks off, so can I. Now, on with the blog.

I'm sure by now, we all know about the Democrat-born "Cash for Clunkers" program, so I will skip the basic tutorial explaining it. Rather, I will explain the unintended consequences of it and why it is comically short-sighted. In fact, Hellen Keller is laughing in her grave about how everyone but liberal Democrats could have seen the pitfalls of this program.

To most, cash for clunkers is a just another government program to be exploited and taken advantage of until it is realized how much it's costing us all. But to me, it's a lot more personal. You see, I'm a "car guy". That means my interest in the automobile goes beyond my need to get from point "A" to point "B". I have had a love of cars and trucks since I was in diapers. Having a mechanic for a father resulted in exposure to the inner workings of the combustible engine at a very early age. Today, when I see a car, I see more than just a machine. I see a personality. I see an expression of the American individual. Liberty allows you to choose the vehicle that most fits you as an individual. Your needs and your wants are the only factors that matter when buying a car in America. Well, maybe your wallet might have a thing or two to say about it too.

For a true "car guy", seeing the bigger picture resulting from the cash for clunkers program is more than a little depressing. First, you have to drive by the car dealerships on your way to work and see lots full of perfectly good cars and trucks, knowing that they are going to be crushed and sent to China for scrap. So when China finally decides to pull the plug on us because of our retarded fiscal policies, it will probably be that clunker you traded in that will have been melted down and turned into the ballistic missile that will be targeting your home town.

Then, you get to know how so many cheap cars and trucks being taken off the market will do nothing more than raise the price of used cars for everyone. So now, the single mother of three will have to find some way to afford a newer mini-van, as opposed to the cheap one she could have normally purchased.

For me, the final insult can be seen parked under my carport in a current state of dis-assembly. In earlier posts, I have mentioned the '72 Chevy pick-up that I have been slowly restoring (with all my "free time"). Currently, it needs an engine. Now that the used V8 engine has been sentenced to execution by the Obama administration, my search for an affordable "350 small block" just got that much harder. Thanks a pant load President Ass!

So, for those of you who actually believe that this program will ultimately be a good thing for the environment, understand this. I am the type of guy who will likely save a few extra pennies and buy a NEW v8 engine for my '72 4x4. Now, rather than simply recycling an existing motor resulting in little-to-no "carbon footprint", you can all go to bed and think about how Mother Earth will be raped and pillaged to provide the raw material to create my fossil fuel swilling behemoth. You can cry over the energy spent to mold the molten iron to make the heart and soul of my creation. You can cringe at the thought of milling lubricant spewing from a chemical plant, purely for the benefit of...ME. You can dream of the fuel being spent to deliver my 350 to my front door.

I promise to dedicate the first grassy field I'll be tearing to shreds with my finished monster to Obama and his "green" eyed minions.