The Gibbs Gaggle: Cash for Clunkers Continues

Well, “Cash for Clunkers” has been a disaster after only ONE WEEK.
I’m sure Government run healthcare will work out just as splendidly.
“The first five quarters of the recession, GDP originally was believed to have contracted 2.2 percent, that contraction was revised downward to 3.5 percent.”
“That’s why today’s reported 1% contraction he says, is actually relatively good news.”
So the ecomony is still tanking–despite $800 Billion worth of stimulus–but it’s not falling off the cliff quite as quickly.

This is the gang that wants to put your private medical records online.

superior defect in execution reflects poorly on the administration.
But wait, what will the unintended consequences be of flooding the market with below cost cars?

What kind of rebate do we get for turn-
in this Biden clunker?

Actually, the program is a comlete success.
============
It’s definitely popular. The jury is still out whether it’s been a success financially.

“This is the gang that wants to put your private medical records online.
Posted by: drjohn | Jul 31, 2009 11:24:05 AM”
Republicans have the same idea genius.
Record modernization is seen as key by both sides to reducing costs.
From the 2008 GOP Platform on health care
“Advances in medical technology are revolutionizing medicine. Information technology is key to early detection and treatment of chronic disease as well as fetal care and health care in rural areas – especially where our growing wireless communications network is available. The simple step of modernizing recordkeeping will mean faster, more accurate treatment, fewer medical errors, and lower costs. Closing the health care information gap can reduce both under-utilization (the diabetic who forgets to refill an insulin prescription) and over-utilization (the patient who endures repetitive tests because providers have not shared test results).”

–You could ask that, or you could actually research history a bit and see this is hardly flooding nor an unusual program (France, Germany, Spain, Italy have all done about the same thing in the past).–
Actually, “youths” burn the cars in France.

Win/Win”Agreed. At $2,500 the program will remain solvent for a week longer. Success! ”
Not sure if you’re being sarcastic or not but yes, the objective of the program was for all the funding to be used. It running out of funding in a week is a good thing.
Perhaps they should set the program a $1,000 – the exact number isn’t as relevant as the fact the current one clearly is overpaying a bit. Not surprising considering that demand for big ticket items always starts to spike coming out of a recession (and most people with 401k’s have seen their net worth increase 25-40% since January).

“Perhaps they should set the program a $1,000 – the exact number isn’t as relevant as the fact the current one clearly is overpaying a bit.”
Worthy of the WH’s view on spending. Of course we all know how the WH feels about reading stuff. More pictures!

“The simple step of modernizing recordkeeping will mean faster, more accurate treatment, fewer medical errors, and lower costs.”
———————————-
Here is the most clueless statement of the day…Very Good Ryan.
How many doctors offices, hospitals, physical therapy facitlities, dentists, eye doctors, school medical facilities, etc do you think there are in the country?
300+ Million people and you have the stupidity to think that collecting medical histories from literally hundreds of various manual & electronic filling systems is going to be “simple”.
If we ever do make that move, I want to submit a bid for a piece of that action. One thing is for sure, do that WILL create jobs in the IT and data conversion arenas. It most certainly will not be simple at all. It will take years and cost billions to actually complete that task. Savings will be well down the road, not anywhere in the immediate future.
Also, every medical facility in the country will have to update their own systems in order to be compliant with whatever the end user interface will be.
That means an investment by everyone in the system in terms of hardware, software & training.
There will also be a very vocal minority opposed to the govt controlling that much personal info too.
The ACLU will be right on top of that one.
It will mean your entire history will available to anyone woh could possibly treat you for anything anywhere in the country. (whatever access protections get put in place, must be easily overridden for ER personel and Paramedics to make sure they handle you correctly and accurately.)
I have no issue with us moving to this kind of system, I am just much more realistic about what it takes to accomplish this task and when savings are really going to come about from this.

“Here is the most clueless statement of the day…Very Good Ryan.”
The 2008 GOP platform is the most clueless statement of the day?

Another bottom-line: Republicans and the press are bashing Obama because a program worked.

Let’s see – the dems fund a program for 95 days that runs out of money in 4 days. And these are the same people who want to manage 1/5th of the economy.
SCARY

“Posted by: Chang | Jul 31, 2009 1:51:05 PM”
So you have no problem with a lobbying firm faking letters from minority organizations sent to Congressman?
And people scoff at my fav tagline.
The lesson as always? Right wingers lie.

I hope the program isn’t limited
to Auto Sales.
Can we trade Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi,
Harry Reid, Barney Frank, and Chris
Dodd in as “Clunkers” and get
something of value in return? LOL!

“Let’s see – the dems fund a program for 95 days that runs out of money in 4 days.”
Politico: “One Michigan Republican, Congresswoman Candice Miller, has already come out in favor of extending the program, saying in a statement: “There can be no doubt that the Cash for Clunkers program is a complete success given the fact that the entire $1 billion allocated to the program was expended in less than a week.”
She called the program “simply the most stimulative $1 billion the federal government has spent during the entire economic downturn.”

She called the program “simply the most stimulative $1 billion the federal government has spent during the entire economic downturn.”
And the rest of it? I wonder if the guys at Goldman Sachs are taking advantage of this plan?

“Now why would a rep from Michigan think this is a great idea? Guess we’ll never know…”
Because she care about her constituents?
Strange for a Republican to actually do so I know but there she is.

Now we have definitive proof of the stupidity of Republicans.
“The survey of American adults asked, “Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America or not?” It found that 77% of Americans answer affirmatively, 11% say “no,” with the balance unsure.
Party-line breakdowns: Dems 93/4/3 (the last figure is “don’t know”), Indies 83/8/9, and GOP … 42/28/30.”

“”The survey of American adults asked, “Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America or not?” It found that 77% of Americans answer affirmatively, 11% say “no,” with the balance unsure.”
And a poll in 1987 showed around 30% of Americans believed the US government created aids to eliminate black people. A fabrication spread by the Soviet Union in 1984, and even admitted to it in 1992. A poll in the 90′s showed 15% still beleived it. I don’t remember if it was broken out by party lines, but I’d bet you money that vast majority of them were Democrats.
Whats the point?

“I wonder if they know which auto company benefited the most from the program?”
_______________________________________
One would hope the companies making the most attractive, functional, energy-efficient, economical vehicles. Good question.

“And a poll in 1987 showed around 30% of Americans believed the US government created aids to eliminate black people. A fabrication spread by the Soviet Union in 1984, and even admitted to it in 1992. A poll in the 90′s showed 15% still beleived it. I don’t remember if it was broken out by party lines, but I’d bet you money that vast majority of them were Democrats.”
10% of the American people will believe any crazy thing you ask them so the overall results were unsurprising.
But 28% of Republicans polled answered no with another 30% unsure.
Given the interviews with GOP Congressman it would seem the party has been encouraging the birther nonsense on a less visibile level.
Kind of like the GOP organizer who told his canavssers to associate Obama with Osama Bin Laden.
I used to just think it was the crazies in the base but now it seems the party itself is just unhinged.

“I used to just think it was the crazies in the base but now it seems the party itself is just unhinged.”
That road goes both ways. One person from one party thinks half from the other is unhinged as well, down a range of issues.
One man who thinks with efficiency and results in mind, will believe that another man who thinks with emotion and compassion as unhinged from reality, and vice versa.

“No, I am saying a lobbyist faking letters to Congress from organizations is very wrong. Its a dishonesty that taints communication between constituent and Representative.
You seem to feel otherwise as you excuse it as everybody does.
Could it be because the firm is run by Republicans?”
I don’t differentiate between party lines because by doing that, you taint your own views and perspectives. I cannot excuse in my mind a lobbyist being on the cabinet of our white house, and then condemn the other party for having a lobbyist do something dishonest and/or wrong. To me, they are cut from the same cloth, regardless of party affiliation. They are professional influencers, propaganda artists, bribers, you name it.
So I treat them all equally, not forgetting that it happens on both sides. There has been some seriously shady environmental things going on with this cap and trade thing by environment lobbyists trying to counter the economic experts on its impact. It also boils down to lies and blatant omission of facts, much like the omission of water vapor from carbon dioxide studies (which also btw, CO2 does NOT trap IR energy from the atmosphere, which helps cool the earth).
It’s all just too stupid to talk about. If our representatives can’t take the time to learn about an issue they are going to vote on, and rely on the lobbyists to inform them, then we are completely screwed.

re: Kash4Klunkers
- Taxpayers paid for it along with the interest on what is now several billion dollars; it’s not free money
- Many environmentalists were agaisnt it becuase you could still but big SUVs, even Hummers, which leads me to believe the backroom discussions were nefarious; the net effect on the environment may be insignificant
- The jury is still out on if people with better gas mileage cars may drive more; the net effect on the environment may be insignificant
- Obama said he would not interfere with day-to-day operations but this program does exactly that
- The EPA has changed which cars qualify and some people were asked to return their new car which no longer qualified
- How much overhead is created and where does that expense come from?
- Why does Michelle Obama need a staff of 22?

–She was fairly one-dimensional. I was talking about the doctor on the poster (in case you didn’t catch it) ;-)–
Nope, right over my head the first time, but I’ve had a few double gin and tonics already, so I’m blaming the bottle. But the comment about her being 1 dimensional was good. Reminds me of my ex GF…personality wise, mind you.

And we expect the crowd that can’t run THIS program to run healthcare? No thanks!

Sounds like the program is a huge success. Heavy subscibership from the public, new car sales, increased economic activity, reduced gas consumption, old vehicles coming off the road . . .and so on.

“It there any particular reason why you didnt mention the fact your deeply informative pool was paid for by the DailyKOS?”
Yes it was paid for by Daily Kos and conducted by Research 2000.
From Allahpundit at HotAir
“On the one hand, the poll was sponsored by … Daily Kos. On the other hand, Research 2000 is a reputable pollster as far as I know and the way they posed the question wasn’t slanted.”
Some of the GOP is recognizing the danger.
Others are immersing themselves in the crazy.