The lyrics of the patriotic hymn “My Country Tis of Thee” bring to mind all the wonderful virtues that Americans once admired and sought to develop in themselves and their children. The Pilgrims came here to raise their families in a land where the moral pollution and apostasy of Europe lay a wide ocean away. Our forefathers died on lonely battlefields so we could enjoy freedom to make the most of the gifts with which God endows each of us. Somehow, I doubt taxing some of us to pay for others to buy new cars would fit into their idea of America.

Now that Cash for Clunkers has officially ended, let's survey the benefit it brought to our country. The program was touted as a way to stimulate the stagnate American auto industry and help struggling Americans who deserve a new car every few years. Stimulating the American auto industry was a dismal failure.

The government's own statistics reveal that the American auto industry was not the beneficiary of the American tax money and debt which financed Cash for Clunkers. In fact, the only American car to make it into the top ten selling cars under Cash for Clunkers is the Ford Escape, and it sits despondently far down the list. All other cars are foreign. Here's the top ten list from the final week of the program:

Land of the Pilgrims' Pride?

The lyrics of the patriotic hymn “My Country Tis of Thee” bring to mind all the wonderful virtues that Americans once admired and sought to develop in themselves and their children. The Pilgrims came here to raise their families in a land where the moral pollution and apostasy of Europe lay a wide ocean away. Our forefathers died on lonely battlefields so we could enjoy freedom to make the most of the gifts with which God endows each of us. Somehow, I doubt taxing some of us to pay for others to buy new cars would fit into their idea of America.

Now that Cash for Clunkers has officially ended, let's survey the benefit it brought to our country. The program was touted as a way to stimulate the stagnate American auto industry and help struggling Americans who deserve a new car every few years. Stimulating the American auto industry was a dismal failure.

The government's own statistics reveal that the American auto industry was not the beneficiary of the American tax money and debt which financed Cash for Clunkers. In fact, the only American car to make it into the top ten selling cars under Cash for Clunkers is the Ford Escape, and it sits despondently far down the list. All other cars are foreign. Here's the top ten list from the final week of the program:

Top 10 New Vehicles Purchased
1. Toyota Corolla
2. Honda Civic
3. Toyota Camry
4. Ford Focus FWD
5. Hyundai Elantra
6. Nissan Versa
7. Toyota Prius
8. Honda Accord
9. Honda Fit
10. Ford Escape FWD

So much for the great GM comeback that's just around the corner.

No doubt, many of the vehicles traded were worth more than the maximum $4500 Clunker rebate. Not only that, but the vehicles traded had to be destroyed; they could not be resold. Obviously the purpose of this program was to entice Americans who normally would not buy a small, high-mileage car to do so. As the FAQ on cars.gov states:


What happens to the vehicle I trade in?
The CARS Act requires that the trade-in vehicle be crushed or shredded so that it will not be resold for use in the United States or elsewhere as an automobile. The entity crushing or shredding the vehicles in this manner will be allowed to sell some parts of the vehicle prior to crushing or shredding it, but these parts cannot include the engine or the drive train.ⁱⁱ


This program was not about helping people or assisting American industry. This program's true purpose was to force an environmental agenda on us that otherwise we would not accept. The program removed “gas-guzzling” eco-unfriendly vehicles from the road, thereby making America more green and environmentally acceptable to the same Europe our Pilgrim forefathers fled. “Free money” trumps principles in modern America.

Even the free money is a ruse. Alas, if it's too good to be true, naturally there will be strings attached. The strings attached to this giveaway are that the Clunker money received is taxable and must be reported as income on the recipient's tax return for 2009.ⁱⁱⁱ So now all the proud owners of these new cars get to thank Uncle Sam for their handout by handing some of it back.

How far we have strayed from the sentiments expressed in “My Country Tis of Thee”. I can't imagine the Pilgrims or George Washington or Thomas Jefferson reveling in receiving government handouts at the expense of their fellow citizens and their posterity.

i - http://www.cars.gov/files/official-information/August26Stats.pdf
ii - http://www.cars.gov/faq
iii - http://www.keloland.com/NewsDetail6162.cfm?Id=0,89084