ObamaCare, The Other Clunker Program
July 31, 2009
Merely four days out of production, the proudly touted government program “Cash for Clunkers” came to a screeching halt Thursday amid worries of an empty tank.
In an unexpected move, the government halted the program, saying it proved so popular with the public that it ran out of money in just four days of official operation. The White House later told us and others on background that the program had not been suspended, but hastened to add that all deals in the hopper before midnight Thursday would be honored — making it sound as if it had been suspended. New York Times Today
“There’s a significant backlog of ‘cash for clunkers’ deals that make us question how much funding is still available in the program,” said Bailey Wood, a spokesman for the dealers association. AP Today
“I’m waiting for the government to reimburse me for over $80,000,” Barry Magnus, general manager of DCH Paramus Honda, in Paramus, N.J., told us. He has completed deals on about two dozen cars, advancing his customers the rebates of between $3,500 and $4,500 each while he waits for the government to repay him. New York Times Today
Clearly, the lack of planning for a simple three month government program resulting in a temporary shutdown four days in due to depleted funds and red tape, demands the question, Why should Americans feel any comfort in a Government run health care system?
Since Congress has been committed to wasting taxpayer’s hard earned monies for years, obviously this is not the first government program to exhaust all funding.
On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office added the Postal Service to its list of “high risk” federal programs, urging it to work with Congress to find a solution to its financial problems. Postmaster General John E. Potter says the Postal Service now expects to run a record $7 billion deficit in 2009, up from projections in March of $6 billion. Losses for the third quarter will not be made public until Aug. 5, but Mr. Potter says those numbers should be similar to figures from the second quarter, when the Postal Service lost $1.9 billion. New York Times, July 29, 2009
On Thursday, Congress moved to bail out the highway trust fund by transferring $7 billion from the general budget. ‘It would be the second such bailout for the fund in a year, following an $8 billion transfer from the general budget last September.’ AP Today
In a written statement, Senator Tom Coburn said, “Congress has wasted billions of dollars on low-priority projects like bike paths while bridges are in disrepair. In today’s economy, it’s inexcusable to continue business as usual when Congress could be supporting state priorities that would save lives, save taxpayer funds, create jobs and truly stimulate the economy,”
So, consider for a moment that you are required to wait months for a doctor’s appointment or to reschedule a hip replacement surgery pending government approval. What if you are denied an MRI or mammogram necessary for a diagnosis? If these circumstances are acceptable to you, ponder for awhile whether your parent’s right to live another year should be determined by a bureaucrat behind a desk crunching numbers?
Make no mistake, this is not an imaginary tale, take a look at history to prove the story. If you believe Congress will miraculously be capable of running a health care system without rationing and increasing taxes, then I will yield to an infamous proverb, ‘we reap what we sow.’
