SEMA CALLS FOR ACTION TO STOP PROPOSED VEHICLE SCRAPPAGE SUBSIDIES

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Truth With Speedzzter warned that the car-hating greeniacs would attempt to encourage vehicle scrappage as a misguided way to force Americans into newer, government approved micro-cars.

Now the Specialty Equipment Market Association is sounding the call to arms against a proposed scheme to use taxpayer money to buy up "clunkers."

Speaking Out Against Scrappage
SEMA Cautions Congress on Flawed Cash for Clunker Programs

SEMA and the SEMA Action Network (SAN) are opposing efforts to revive consideration of federal funding for vehicle scrappage programs. These programs accelerate the normal retirement of vehicles through the purchase of older cars, which are then typically crushed into blocks of scrap metal.

In response to testimony delivered on Capitol Hill, SEMA sent letters to members of Congress to counter requests that tax dollars be used to entice motorists to trade in their older cars and trucks for newer models. SEMA emphasized that hobbyists would suffer with the indiscriminate destruction of older cars, trucks and parts they need if scrappage programs were expanded with federal funds.

“America safeguards its artistic and architectural heritage against indiscriminate destruction,” said SEMA Vice President of Government Affairs Steve McDonald. “Our automotive and industrial heritage deserves the same protection.”

SEMA has also learned that legislators may also be considering scrappage as a clean-air measure and are now in contact with these offices to explain scrappage’s shortcomings as an environmental measure. Traditionally, scrappage efforts focus purely on vehicle age rather than actual emissions produced.

Enthusiasts played a vital role in defeating federal scrappage legislation in 2002 and should be prepared to counter this renewed threat to the hobby. SAN members should stay tuned for e-mail alerts and updates in Driving Force should a bill be introduced.

For more information, contact SAN Director Jason Tolleson at jasont@sema.org.

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Cash For Clunkers Sounds Good, But Is Bad Policy

- Old Cars Are Valuable to Collectors, But Not Taxpayers: An unchecked Cash for Clunkers program risks destroying classic, historic and special-interest vehicles. America safeguards its artistic and architectural heritage against indiscriminate destruction. Our automotive and industrial heritage deserves the same protection.

- Cash for Clunkers Programs Do Not Take Gross Polluters Off the Road: Cash for Clunkers focus on vehicle age rather than actual emissions produced. This approach is based on the erroneous assumption that “old cars are dirty cars.” However, the true culprits are “gross polluters”—vehicles of any model year that are poorly maintained.

- Squeezes Low-Income Citizens: Low-income Americans would be hurt by expanding Cash for Clunkers. Such programs reduce the supply and availability of affordable transportation and repair parts—the very cars and parts most often bought by low and fixed-income drivers.

- How Can the Federal Government Ensure that the Replacement Vehicle Is Any Cleaner?: There is no guarantee with a Cash for Clunkers program that a replacement vehicle (if there is one) will be cleaner running or more fuel-efficient than the vehicles the government paid to scrap. For example, many popular cars in 1979 achieved higher mileage ratings than 2008 vehicles.

Enviro-welfare schemes such as "cash for clunkers" would devestate grassroots motorsports, hot rodding, and tuning by drastically reducing the supplies of used auto parts and suitable vehicles for modification.

Of course, the greeniacs and "true believers" in the new-age "faith" of anthropogenic climate change don't think anyone should be "tampering" with OEM vehicles. These enemies of automotive freedom will do their best during the OBAMA administration to restrict such activities as they move toward their dream of huge reductions in greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels.

A hoard of hapless, golf-playing politicians having virtually no understanding or appreciation for our motorsports heritage will gladly play along with the OBAMA/greeniac agenda. As James Quinn recently opined in "The Law of Unintended Consequences: 20th Century and Beyond (at http://seekingalpha.com)

"I can't think of a body of people operating with more ignorance than Congress. The information they act upon is provided by the 17,000 lobbyists that wine and dine them on a daily basis. Corporate lobbyists, PACs, unions, and special interests buy their votes. Their time horizons are less than a few months. They are constantly running for reelection, raising money and handing out goodies to their constituents. The only feedback they care about is their standing in the polls and the amount of money they've raised from 'donors'. Their incentives are poor and not aligned with the needs of the American people. They are not willing to do what is right for the country because they have no incentive to do so. Their only incentive is to get re-elected by insuring that their district gets as much pork spending as possible."

Quinn, of course, ignores that a small, hard-core group of liberals in Congress are among the "true believers" in all or part of the socialist green agenda. These elected greeniacs will leverage their power not for the money, but for the realization of shutting down automotive freedom. They will cynically cloak their ideologies in the rhetoric of the age (i.e. "We need 'cash for clunkers' to help save the Detroit 3 and allow the struggling middle class and 'working families' to afford new energy-efficient vehicles"). But their agenda is clear.

It must be stopped.

Truth With Speedzzter joins SEMA in the call for all automobile enthsiasts to contact their representatives and senators in opposition to any vehicle scrappage plans.