Does Cash for Clunkers Help the Environment?

I think it's a valid argument. It does cost money to crush cars, with much ending up in landfills.  In addition, now that they're getting rid of all the "old" clunkers, junk yards will not have used parts available for those who have older cars and  wish to use them, or that can't afford new fenders, bumpers, etc. 

Given the number of cars (old and new) on the road in this country, the Clunkers program will not have any effect one way or the other on the environment.

It's effect will be totally on our economy since it requires increasing our national debt by yet another several billion dollars that we, and our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will have to pay for by increased taxes.

Somehow, folks, I don't think you understand the heavy impact that these "fuel efficient" cars actually have on the environment.

Were you aware that the hybrid cars you hear so much about run on lead-acid batteries?  They are toxic at best.  Some models use lithium-ion batteries, but lithium carbonate in your water supplies (highly soluble in water) from improperly disposed-of batteries is over 2,000 times more poisonous than lead sulphate (virtually insoluble in water).

CO emissions from gasoline engines rapidly convert to CO/2 in the atmosphere.  SO/2 and other nastiness comes from impure fuel, and no engine can reduce that. 

The only real advancement is from International Harvester, Freightliner and Kenworth: IH/Solar has a diesel-fired turbine engine that produces about 570 HP, does not require a transmission, and lasts on average 2,000,000 miles before rebuilding in commercial trucks.  This powerplant also cuts by 2/3 the fuel consumption of a commercial truck while improving reliability.  Sadly, there is no viable turbine powerplant available for light vehicles, yet.

Expect the new powerplant in 2011 Freightliners, IHC, and Kenworth trucks.

Due to Kenyan oil exports, however, expect Obama to stall the use of IH/Solar's powerplant indefinitely.

Taxpayers' real cost of Cash for Clunkers: $24,000 a car, Edmonds.com analysis says

Taxpayers ended up paying an average of $24,000 per vehicle for the Cash for Clunkers program over the summer when sales that would have happened anyway are taken into consideration, says car buying research site Edmunds.com.

The program, which cost taxpayers $3 billion, gave car buyers up to $4,500 in incentives to trade in their gas-guzzling clunkers to buy new fuel thrifty cars. It was intended primarily to spur sales, and the economy.

But Edmunds.com says a lot of those sales would have happened anyway, with or without the clunkers program. Of more than 690,000 vehicles sold, only about 125,000 of the sales were entirely due to the government's added inducement, Edmunds.com says. The rest of buyers just got lucky by getting the government to kick cash into deals that they would have proceeded with anyhow. When the cost of the program is spread over just those extra incremental sales, the total is $24,000 per vehicle.

That's just about $2,000 shy of the average amount paid for a new car by buyers in August, $26,915.

To conduct the analysis, the Edmunds.com looked at the sales trend for luxury vehicles and others not included in Cash for Clunkers. It then applied those sales against the total adjusted sales rate of all cars to make estimates. "These estimates were independently verified through careful examination of sales patterns reflected by transaction data," it says.

“This analysis is valuable for two reasons,” said Edmunds.com CEO Jeremy Anwyl. “First, it can form the basis for a complete assessment of the program’s impact and costs.  Second—and more important—it can help us to understand the true state of auto sales and the economy.”