An outcome of the cash for clunkers I did not take into account.. The Presidents

[Peacetrain]

program to get the car industry back on its feet, and get more fuel efficient vehicles on the highway, was a great 2 fer I thought..

But it may be more of a 3 fer or 4 fer... Stopped into Sears to pick up some fliers from a friend who works there.

Could not find her, till I spotted her with a customer, and one waiting behind that one..looking at a new refrigerator and I have no idea what the other one wanted.

But to make a long story short... Apparently with the money people are saving on the clunkers, it is giving them more confidence to make other large item purchases they had been putting off. The sales floor was hopping.

Being that it is so close to the start of school, I bet that is playing out in getting new laptops etc for the kids.

Holey Moley ... that is a stimulus plan that just keeps on giving.

[lamp_shade]

1. Hey... wonderful. Thanks for posting this.

[SoCalDem]

2. as obnoxious as they are, car salesmen have families too

and their families buy stuff too:)..so do car-loan processers..and car washes (people like to keep new cars sparkling)..

to stop a spiral, you have to slow it first..

[Clio the Leo]

3. Oh but it's gonna DESTROY the economy.....

.... one of my co-workers who is convinced that the Presidnet is a foreign-born spy sent by the Chinese goverment to kill us all and steal our babies, said today, "what happens a year from now when all those people buying cars cant pay for them!"

I told her there were customers waiting at our cash register and we could talk about it later. :)

[GivePeaceAchance]

4. Sounds good to me. K&R!!

[4lbs]

5. You mean there's a multiplier effect working as a result of an economic stimulus plan?

Shocking !!!

:D

[BlooInBloo]

14. I don't think anybody could have predicted that.

[CitizenPatriot]

6. and from around here, at least,

a lot of jobs recycling the parts of the old cars! may people being put to work to handle different parts of the old cars.

a very brilliant plan, really.

that's why the republicans hate it so much. any time they see joy or goodness, they come running to stamp out it out. god forbid anyone should fucking feel good for five minutes. Fear must prevail!

yes, WHAT IF someone can't pay for it in five years! Oh, noes! would that be like bush's deregulating the fucking banking/housing industry??? Oh, I'm sure that's different, and hey, nothing bad came of that brilliant plan to make the OCC in charge instead of the states, etc. Tell her the terror alert is level red. I'm sure she'll feel better then.

[quaker bill]

7. One must remember

that psychology plays a massive role in a market economy. When people believe times are going to be bad, they tend to behave in manners that make it bad and even worse.

However, when confidence rises, folks tend to make purchases and their confidence is rewarded.

When the perception changes to the notion "things are getting better", curiously enough, they will.

Now, if you can change the psychology, while getting a bunch of gas guzzlers off the roads, you have struck paydirt. Even a minor uptick in the economy will more than cover the cost with increased tax revenues.

This does not deal with some structural problems created by the Reaganist / Milton Friedman front. But Barack & Co. are working on those with targeted stimulus and hopefully some meaningful HC reform. In a rising economy, these other things can begin to be walked off.

[Peacetrain]

8. Update on yesterdays post... I talked to my friend again last night

and she sold that refrigerator..the other couple waiting in line for her, bought a new TV that did not need a converter.

She said, that if this keeps up another week, they are thinking of hiring new sales staff.

Sometimes I guess it is just the faith of the mustard seed.

[The Backlash Cometh]

9. Ya-hoo!!!

Glad to hear it. And we didn't have to give everyone $300 rebates.

[Orsino]

10. Yes, it always seemed to me to be more than an attempt to bail out Detroit...

...or to increase fuel efficiency. I would hope that support in one portion of the economy helps shore up others.

[Johnyawl]

11. It's a big boost for states that depend on sales tax

[Peacetrain]

12. Oh my GOD... did not think of that either... Thank you for pointing that out

[boomerbust]

13. Pass a good

Health care reform bill, pass Cap and Trade, pass EFCA and put your hard earned money on Obama and you will see this economy EXPLODE!!!