Cash for Clunkers

so, there was incentive to trade your car in... let me ask you, could you afford a new car before the incentive? but now with the extra $4,500 you can? really?


did you know that the $4,500 you just "earned" toward a new car will count toward your taxes as income? yep, that's right. the stimulus the government gave you, will be taxed... as income.


and let's think about this "stimulus." is it a good idea to stimulate the economy by enticing consumers to go into more debt? aren't we in a "crisis" because of the carelessness that we are acquiring debt in the first place? although i'm sure there are a FEW exceptions, i find it hard to believe that americans were just $4,500 away from being able to afford a new car.


sure, it's beneficial to those who used the stimulus, but who do you think pays for this stimulus? the auto industry? no, the government does. who pays the government? we do! it's called taxes. so everyone who didn't use it to buy a new car, paid for those who did use the stimulus. why do we continue to think the government is "giving" us "free" money?

let's make sure we understand what we are doing with these stimuluses before we blindly use them, thinking we are being given a gift. when it comes to the government, let's remember that nothing is free: freedom, money, stimulus, healthcare - we always pay, not always with dollars, but we always pay.