Government-Free Market Combo
I heard a brief radio report this morning that the government was halting the “Cash For Clunkers”*** program already. There wasn’t much info in the report, and in fact, a short while later, a caller to the radio show noted how this was just another example of government’s inability to run anything well.
Later I heard on television news that the government wasn’t halting the program because it failed, but because it was so successful!!! The program was running out of money (one billion George Washingtons) after less than a week. An even later report said that the White House and congressional people had been in talks to make sure more money was available to keep the program operating “through this weekend.” Notice that last part. With leaders obviously pleased with what is happening, you’d think they would come up with enough money to keep the program funded far past this weekend, and they just may well do that, but we’ll have to see. If it’s working, don’t rock the boat! Go for it!
What we have is a boost to the American auto business by Uncle Sam, but then further aided by the auto industry itself, as dealers have offered to match, or even exceed, the government discount. One of the local television stations had a really good segment on the news a week or so ago about the program. At that time, “Cash For Clunkers” hadn’t yet gone into effect, but auto dealers were literally taking orders, and storing vehicles to be traded in by customers. The reporter for the news segment showed how, in some cases, a buyer could get, for example, a brand new $20,000 car for just $10,000. I believe it was last weekend that I read in the newspaper that one government agency had received tens of thousands of calls in reference to the discount program.
To me, if the government is going to spend taxpayer money, this is one of the ways to do it to help the economy and the AMERICAN auto industry. I said long ago that Uncle Sam should have just sent all of us a big check instead of bailing out bankers and wealthy executives who got us into this mess. Let US spend the money where we choose to spend it, or at least have designated programs such as this auto program, where the money HAS TO BE SPENT ON AMERICAN GOODS OR SERVICES. I also said that this would require a firm crack down on oil and gasoline prices, or the greedy bastards will charge $50 a gallon to get every damned penny given to us by the government. So…for those of you who thought Randy was a off his rocker, GO BUY A CAR!!! (A word history is below)
***For those unaware, Congress passed, and the President signed, a law giving rebates of $3500 or $4500 if you traded in your older, less fuel efficient model vehicle for a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. To keep this simple, I won’t get into all of the specifics, but if you get a new high fuel efficiency vehicle, you get the full $4500 amount off the price. Understand, the dealer gets the rebate from Uncle Sam, and you get the amount discounted from the price. The idea was to give a boost to the auto industry, and to help fuel efficiency simultaneously. You can check all of the details online at:
http://www.cars.gov/
WORD HISTORY:
Hose-This seems to go back to Indo European "keu/(s)keu," which had the notion of "covering."
The Old Germanic offshoot was "khuson/khusan," which meant "a covering for the leg." Old English had "hosa," also meaning "a covering for the leg." Close English relative Dutch had (I don't find it in modern Dutch, but maybe it's dialect now) "hoos," which one source says meant "stocking," (See further on) and another close relative, German, has "Hose," which means "trousers, pants," from the notion of "leg covering," and this is an every day word in German. French, a non-Germanic language, however with a substantial Germanic-based vocabulary, also HAD "hose" for "stocking," but this was prior to the modern era. Dutch also used the term for "a water hose," taking the original meaning of stocking, a long tubular covering for the leg, and applying it to a tubular object for dispersing water." This too seems to have died out in modern Dutch; however, English picked up this meaning from Dutch in the late 1400s, and it is still very much alive. I also found reference to the verb form, "to hose (down)," coming into use in English in the late 1800s.
Later I heard on television news that the government wasn’t halting the program because it failed, but because it was so successful!!! The program was running out of money (one billion George Washingtons) after less than a week. An even later report said that the White House and congressional people had been in talks to make sure more money was available to keep the program operating “through this weekend.” Notice that last part. With leaders obviously pleased with what is happening, you’d think they would come up with enough money to keep the program funded far past this weekend, and they just may well do that, but we’ll have to see. If it’s working, don’t rock the boat! Go for it!
What we have is a boost to the American auto business by Uncle Sam, but then further aided by the auto industry itself, as dealers have offered to match, or even exceed, the government discount. One of the local television stations had a really good segment on the news a week or so ago about the program. At that time, “Cash For Clunkers” hadn’t yet gone into effect, but auto dealers were literally taking orders, and storing vehicles to be traded in by customers. The reporter for the news segment showed how, in some cases, a buyer could get, for example, a brand new $20,000 car for just $10,000. I believe it was last weekend that I read in the newspaper that one government agency had received tens of thousands of calls in reference to the discount program.
To me, if the government is going to spend taxpayer money, this is one of the ways to do it to help the economy and the AMERICAN auto industry. I said long ago that Uncle Sam should have just sent all of us a big check instead of bailing out bankers and wealthy executives who got us into this mess. Let US spend the money where we choose to spend it, or at least have designated programs such as this auto program, where the money HAS TO BE SPENT ON AMERICAN GOODS OR SERVICES. I also said that this would require a firm crack down on oil and gasoline prices, or the greedy bastards will charge $50 a gallon to get every damned penny given to us by the government. So…for those of you who thought Randy was a off his rocker, GO BUY A CAR!!! (A word history is below)
***For those unaware, Congress passed, and the President signed, a law giving rebates of $3500 or $4500 if you traded in your older, less fuel efficient model vehicle for a new, more fuel efficient vehicle. To keep this simple, I won’t get into all of the specifics, but if you get a new high fuel efficiency vehicle, you get the full $4500 amount off the price. Understand, the dealer gets the rebate from Uncle Sam, and you get the amount discounted from the price. The idea was to give a boost to the auto industry, and to help fuel efficiency simultaneously. You can check all of the details online at:
http://www.cars.gov/
WORD HISTORY:
Hose-This seems to go back to Indo European "keu/(s)keu," which had the notion of "covering."
The Old Germanic offshoot was "khuson/khusan," which meant "a covering for the leg." Old English had "hosa," also meaning "a covering for the leg." Close English relative Dutch had (I don't find it in modern Dutch, but maybe it's dialect now) "hoos," which one source says meant "stocking," (See further on) and another close relative, German, has "Hose," which means "trousers, pants," from the notion of "leg covering," and this is an every day word in German. French, a non-Germanic language, however with a substantial Germanic-based vocabulary, also HAD "hose" for "stocking," but this was prior to the modern era. Dutch also used the term for "a water hose," taking the original meaning of stocking, a long tubular covering for the leg, and applying it to a tubular object for dispersing water." This too seems to have died out in modern Dutch; however, English picked up this meaning from Dutch in the late 1400s, and it is still very much alive. I also found reference to the verb form, "to hose (down)," coming into use in English in the late 1800s.
Labels: auto industry, Cash For Clunkers, English, etymology, Germanic languages, government
posted by Randy at 11:21 AM
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