MCCURDY AND THE OEMS TO BEG FOR MORE "CA$H FOR CLUNKER$" HANDOUTS

[Get the latest "Truth With Speedzzter" here]

Ronald Reagan once said "The closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program." And if Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers superlobbyist Dave McCurdy and the radical greens get their way, "Cash for Clunkers" will be the next immortal government giveaway.

According to the Automotive News, McCurdy and the dole-loving OEMS want to throw billons more borrowed bailout money after bad on welfare payments to new car buyers. The CARS Act's abject waste of $1,000,000,000.00 will only destroy 250,000 potential collector and spare parts vehicles. That's apparently not enough taxpayer-funded vandalism to suit the AAM's bailout-loving membership.

McCurdy chirped "I think it'll go very quickly, and Congress may have to revisit it in the fall . . . 250,000 vehicles isn't enough. We think there'll be additional phases of this . . . It'll probably evolve."

"Evolution" will undoubtedly mean putting even more V8s and at-risk milestone historic vehicles in the crosshairs of welfare/corporate greed and misguided, big-spending environmental policies.

As "Truth With Speedzzter" predicted, the initial CARS Act compromise was merely to get the "camel's nose into the tent."

Meanwhile, the Specialty Equipment Market Association's SEMA Action Network (SAN) is attempting to put its best spin on a lobbying disaster. The latest issues of "Driving Force" contains the following explanation of the AAM/greeniac/liberal Democrat/RINO rout:

SAN then focused its efforts on lessening the impact of the program on the hobbyist community.“SEMA and the SAN are disappointed that Congress ignored evidence that vehicle scrappage programs will not achieve claimed environmental benefits,” said Steve McDonald, SEMA’s Vice President of Government Affairs. “However, we are pleased that lawmakers agreed not to include the older cars and parts that help drive the passions of many in the automotive hobbyist community.”

Under the program, consumers who agree to scrap a trade-in car that gets 18 miles per gallon or less (15 mpg or less for heavy pick-ups and vans) will receive a voucher to buy a qualifying new car. The voucher will range from $3,500 to $4,500 based on the new car’s fuel efficiency. The program primarily targets SUVs and pickups since most passenger cars manufactured during the last 25 years get more than the 18 mpg combined city/highway requirement.

[As the EDMUNDS list posted below shows, however, this is simply not true. Virtually every V8 and RWD vehicle built after 1984 with a trade-in value of $4,500 or less is at risk]

The car buyer will receive a $3,500 voucher if they buy a new passenger car that was rated at 4 mpg higher than the older vehicle, or a new pickup truck/SUV that was at least 2 mpg higher than the old truck. They will receive a $4,500 voucher if the passenger car was at least 10 mpg higher and the truck/SUV was at least 5 mpg higher.

Lawmakers want the program to last one year but have only set aside $1 billion to fund car purchases made from July 1-Nov. 1, 2009. They will seek another $3 billion later this summer to fund the program into 2010.

“It took countless meetings with lawmakers and their staff in order to secure the 25-year exemption and recycling provisions,” said SEMA Director of Regulatory Affairs Stuart Gosswein. “While it proved impossible to kill the scrappage program, lawmakers were keenly aware of the SAN’s opposition to the program and wanted to remove any unintended consequences to the hobbyist community. Your voices were heard.”

Most certainly the next round of "Cash for Clunkers" welfare will go after a wider cross-section of historic and special interest vehicles. And paid shills like the AAM's Dave McCurdy will be leading the money-hungry Visigoths.

The apparently toothless SEMA lobby has its work cut out for it.