August 26,
2009
Where's
That Cash for Clunkers?
It has always been one of the biggest professional
challenges. Covering bureaucrats, or the military, is always
a collision of two different species. While we reporters are
all about the instant gratification of getting answers and
results right now, if not yesterday, the reportees, meaning
our subjects and targets have no earthly idea why that's
important.
If we don't get our story today, we can try again
tomorrow. Meanwhile, they need to go home at five. If
something is undone, it can wait. Unfortunately that mindset
can make any endeavor slow to an agonizing crawl. Which
brings us to the "Cash for Clunkers" program.
Should anyone be at all surprised there is a massive backup
in mailing payments to the auto dealers who fronted the
money so they could jump on the car sales bandwagon? The
biggest surprise is that they were willing to do that and
risk having such a cash crunch that in the midst of a huge
jump in business, they would be forced into bankruptcy.
Let's face it – our bureaucrats can't deal with success. In
fact it's not something they comprehend because it doesn't
matter. If the computers crash because they weren't ready
for a popular program, they crash. Never mind they have been
leaving increasingly desperate auto dealers out to dry – you
know, the ones who fronted that $3,500 to $4,500 a new car
on the foolish belief they'd get their money right back
before they went belly up.
At least the feds had the good sense to extend their deadline
to get in the cyber paperwork. And at least auto
manufacturers, realizing they might not have any dealers
left to sell all those cars people were buying, were coming
to the rescue with loans and advances to tide their outlets
over. Meanwhile, some of the car dealers were shutting down
the program, saying they couldn't afford it.
But now the government has shut it down instead, and will
continue to dole out the money as quickly as it
can. Hopefully that's fast enough to keep the dealers
afloat. Even though Cash for Clunkers generated huge sales
at the lots, it also has created a ton of headaches. Many of
them are probably shaking their heads and wondering "Will I
ever again buy a car program from these people?"
Of course they will, but maybe next time the government can
be ready when they do.
