'Cash for appliance' plan being finalized

Anything that spends money and has us using less energy is okay with me.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 27 (UPI) -- A "cash for appliances" program of giving U.S. consumers rebates for swapping old appliances for new, efficient ones should be finalized soon, officials say.

Supported by $300 million from the economic stimulus package, the program will offer consumers rebates for buying energy-efficient refrigerators

, dishwashers, air conditioners and other appliances to replace older, energy-wasting models, The Washington Post reported Friday.

(snip)

Much of the cash-for-appliances money won't be available until February, March or April, officials said. The program will be run by state governments, which must identify and enact their rebate plans with federal government funding and approval.

Pawlenty of nothin'

By GottaLaff

Guess which network he said this on? If you said ClusterFox, you'd be right. Darn, did the photo give it away?

The Minnesota Governor called Cash for Clunkers "misguided" and "ludicrous" before saying, "There's a joke out now that says the main value of the Cash for Clunkers program may be that we'll get a lot of cars with Obama stickers off the road."

Oh, hahahaaa! Man-oh-man, what a laugh riot! I am in stitches here! Wow! Who writes your material...

....Sean Hannity?

The implication of that "joke" seems to be that it's poor Obama supporters who own old clunkers that were the beneficiaries of this government program.

And the President's plan for health care reform?

It's like a manure spreader in a wind storm. It's just throwing out of more bad ideas, it's hard to even keep track of them in this bill.

Classy, Tim, classy.

If anyone is full of pucky here, it's the guy in the photo.

Video- Fox Talkers Spin Cash for Clunkers Success as "Failure"

Via Newshounds.

Man trades in Maserati as 'clunker'

Hysterical.

GOLDEN, Colo., Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A Colorado car dealer got a shock when a man drove in with a trade in the cash-for- clunkers program, a 1985 Maserati BiTurbo.

The car is in almost pristine condition, KUSA-TV, Denver, reported. There are only 18,480 miles on the odometer.

While the Italian sports car stands out among the battered trucks and SUVs other people have brought to Go Subaru in Golden, it qualified under the program. The owner got a $3,500 rebate on a new Subaru Impreza.

Wes Guthrie said the owner complained the Maserati would need work after being driven for 10 minutes. He had been trying to sell it for months and finding no takers.

VIDEO- GOPFail: Analysts predict billions in benefits from 'Cash for Clunkers'

By GottaLaff



The good news headline won't stop all those Rushpublic crankypants from whining and crying. And you know why they're whining and crying? Because President Ba-lack Obama is having a few success stories, and they can't bear that:

The "Cash for Clunkers" program will continue with a $2 billion supplement that some analysts say could provide a boost of billions of dollars more as it reverberates through the economy.

Critics, however, say the program merely shifts consumer spending from one area to another.

The tone of that video is more negative than positive. But go back and listen to the arguments. Go ahead, I'll wait....

... Done? Good. Let's recap:

"Marginal increases in fuel economy"? "Not where you'd put the first dollar if your real objective for saving energy"? ANY increase in fuel economy is a plus, and this is only part of an overall clean energy program. Improved fuel efficiency is coming.

As for that "buy now, buy now" criticism... wasn't that one of the objectives of the stimulus package? To provide a badly needed and immediate jolt, kinda like, you know, The Surge in Iraq that everyone is so fond of touting as a Big Success?

Yeah, it's probably a better idea to do absolutely nothing... or to say that somehow the economy will spontaneously improve, just as it somehow spontaneously crashed. That's the latest meme that the Rushpublics are desperately trying to push, anyway.

And their ideas have worked so well for us so far, haven't they?

Another Special Comment by my 72-year-old friend

By GottaLaff

I have a very caring, impassioned Twitter pal, one who I've actually had the pleasure to spend some time with. He wanted to share his feelings about recent events, and I am more than happy to oblige, again. His first excellent rant can be found here:

It’s the 72 year old guy again. In my last comment I said that I haven’t seen so much hate and fear in this country since the civil rights movement. In the last few days I have seen it get even worse. The more I see it the angrier I get.

So whom am I angry at:

The birther movement: YES!; the town hall demonstrations: YES!; the conservative media who spew their hate: YES!; the republican party (1) for telling their followers to disrupt town hall meetings, (2) whose only policy is to see President Obama fail on all his programs, (3) wanting Health Care reform to be his Waterloo, (4) opposing additional funding for the stimulus program “Cash for Clunkers”: YES!!!!

When did we lose the concept that differences of opinions can be discussed and resolved in a peaceful manner? Why does the conservative media feel the only way to oppose anything is to spew hateful words like “racist”, “he’s not one of us” “this country was built by the white man"? Such words rile their base, and at times we have seen violent acts taken by their followers... for which these commentators will take no responsibility.

So what I see happening is the erosion of democracy as I have known it in this country; where party ideology is more important than what is best for this country. This erosion has been going on for several years. When mob mentality takes over the democratic process, like what we have seen at the town hall meetings, we all lose. No political party is right on everything it proposes, but by only working together in a bipartisan manner can we accomplish anything that is best for the country. To oppose any president on everything that may be proposed doesn’t benefit the country.

I hope it doesn’t take a climatic event to bring this great country back to its senses.

GOP Wants Cash for ClunkersFail Because It Helps Mainstreet, USA. Too Late

By GottaLaff

Your Daily Dose of BuzzFlash, via my buddy Mark Karlin:

[T]he "cash for clunkers" program is so popular with Mainstreet Americans that it makes them feel more positive about the national government. My God, it's kind of like a tax break, but coming from the Democrats, but it benefits middle Americans, not just the tiny percentage of super wealthy, and it boosts the economy by increasing production -- not by just tossing 2 trillion dollars into the Wall Street gambling casino that only produces embossed paper shares that have little anchoring real value and gambling debts from the likes of derivatives.

Yes, the "cash for clunkers" additional 2 billion dollars will pass the Senate before adjournment because the horse is out of the barn, and the GOP won't be able to placate enraged potential car buyers with Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh "white victim" demagoguery if they filibuster it.

Consumers know a bargain -- and they're glad to get it from their government.

Much more here.

Dee-lish!

Video- Senator DeMint: Even If Cash For Clunkers Helps The Economy, 'It's Still A Horrible Policy'

It's pretty obvious that they don't listen to what they say. Vid via Think Progress.

Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell predict 'clunkers' passage

By GottaLaff

Can we turn in Rushpublic clunkers for cash? I'm thinkin' that would be the fastest way to move us all into the wealthiest 1%:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he has votes to extend "Cash for Clunkers," ensuring that the popular program will receive a $2 billion extension before Congress leaves for the recess.

And Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a critic of the program, seems to agree with him.

"What I anticipate is that there will be a vote by the end of the week," McConnell said. "The matter will be completed by the end of the week."

Even the most resistant Senate Republican, Jim DeMint, when asked if he'd filibuster cash for clunkers, said: "it's not my intent right now."

My, my. A successful Democratic stimulus program and a major rescue in North Korea courtesy of the ObamAdministration... all in one week.

Those Corporate Tea Tantrumers are going to have to scream a whole lot louder to drown all that out.

Video- Beck conspiracy theory: “Cash for clunkers” website lets Feds take over your computer

Via Jed.

Audio- Limbaugh: Cash for clunkers suspended because Obama "doesn't want you to have that much more of your money"

Ooops. House passes $2B more 'cash for clunkers' bill

Cash For Clunkers Extended

I love the way the wingers try to make such a smashing success into a total failure.

The White House says the Cash for Clunkers program will be extended through the weekend even though the program has already burned through its $1 bilion dollar budget.

Charlottesville car dealers report a surge in business due to the enormously popular program that gives consumes thousands of dollars to use as a down payment on a fuel efficient vehicle.

The White House says car buyers who make a deal before the end of the weekend will be eligible for the rebate.

Cartoon of the Day

Click to enlarge, via.