Crazy Viral Email

Some of you may have received the "Cash for Clunkers" viral email. I received it recently from a colleague and just couldn't responding to the sender. The main premise is we wasted taxpayers money. Here is my response followed by the original viral "Cash for Clunkers" email.

I don't often respond to your emails but I just couldn't let this one pass without a response.

Don't forget to factor in the jobs and salaries for those people in the auto industry and related industries. Even John Bergstrom was praising the program in his TV interview a couple of weeks ago. Were there some problems with the "cash for clunkers" program? Sure, what program doesn't. Did the program save our economy? No, but it stopped some of the bleeding for awhile. During one of the most serious economic periods since the Great Depression we cannot sit on our thumbs and continue the tax cuts for the rich. It is obvious that approach was not working (except for those at the top rung).

And let's not forget the tens of billions for Halliburton, KBR, Blackwater, etc. What kind of return did we get there? Not to mention the black eye they have given America. Halliburton gophers getting paid $50,000 and what do we pay our soldiers? Contracting and outsourcing is not only a joke it is a travesty.

The government has become a favorite whipping boy for the neo-cons like Huckabee (who is using his radio program to run for President), Hannity, Limbaugh, O'Reilly, Beck, et. al. I would rather get the facts and not all the noise. I guess they think America will believe the lies and misrepresentations if it is repeated often enough. Pulling the plug on grandma? Medical care for illegals? Obama is not an American citizen? Follow the money. Who is funding this battle against health care reform (a misnomer--should be called health insurance reform. Most of us have pretty good health care--not everybody has access or can afford it.) You will find the insurance industry, Dick Armey and others behind this so-called "grass roots" campaign (it is really astroturf!). It is well orchestrated and financed by Freedom Works and similar programs run by various lobbying firms. They certainly have the right to free speech and lobby. However, they should be upfront and honest with the public. The health care industry is spending $1.4 Million/DAY on lobbying efforts with both Democrats & Republicans feeding at the trough. And why not? Over 1/2 of the health care lobbyists (1,418 of 2,737) used to work for the government they are trying to influence. Does anyone really think those 5 lobbyists/member of Congress is really working in the public interest?

I don't mind paying taxes because we generally get good service (roads, schools, bridges, etc.). I just wish everyone would pay their fair share. Check the top marginal rate during the Eisenhower, Nixon, Reagan years (I'll give you a hint--they were much higher than today!) with the tax cuts under Bush. Also check the taxes that some of our largest corporations pay (Walmart, Kimberly Clark, etc.). We wouldn't have a school funding crisis in Wisconsin if we could just get the corporations to pay their fair share. They will argue supply side economics or "trickle down" economics but we have seen very little trickle down. I am more of a believer in paying workers an honest wage/salary and let them pump the economy through spending and savings.

Check out what has happened over the last several years in terms of the differential in pay between CEOs and the average worker. A generation ago, top CEOs made 30 to 40 times the pay of average workers. Now we have CEO pay outpacing average worker pay by 344 times. The gap between worker and executive pay has multiplied tenfold since the early 1980s. I have no problem with executives making more money than workers but what we have here is a case of corporate greed run amok. Unbridled capitalism has become a license to steal.

On top of that, even as our economy has been tanking the productivity of the American worker has gone up and is higher than any other country. And what do workers get for that? Layoffs, pay cuts or freezes, corporate threats to move the business to another area, etc.

In closing, I am not pointing my finger at all corporations--some corporations do pay their workers a decent wage and do have a belief in social justice. I am not going to paint all corporations with the same brush. Now, if we can just get Beck, O"Reilly, Hannity, Huckabee, & Limbaugh to do the same when they launch their criticism of the government.They find some government program to criticize and then make general attacks on the entire federal government as if it the enemy.

Our system of government is not perfect but I will still take it over any other. And, I believe the government is best left in the hands of the general public (We the people...) and not the corporate executives. People should read the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution again (assuming they have already read it at one time in their life). Rush still confuses the Declaration of Independence with the U.S. Constitution.

Sorry, my friend! You won't get me to buy into this faux noise!

The viral email follows:

Our Savings in the Cash for Clunkers Program
Do you make decisions like this?? .

A clunker that travels 12,000 miles a year at 15 mpg uses 800 gallons of
gas a year.

A vehicle that travels 12,000 miles a year at 25 mpg uses 480 gallons a
year.

So, the average Cash for Clunkers transaction will reduce US gasoline
consumption by 320 gallons per year.

They claim 700,000 vehicles so that's 224 million gallons saved per year.

That equates to a bit over 5 million barrels of oil.

5 million barrels is approximately 5 hours worth of US consumption. More
importantly, 5 million barrels of oil, at $70 per barrel, costs about $350
million dollars.

So, the government paid $3 billion of our tax dollars to save $350
million. (Do the math - it's a mere 880% loss!)

We spent $8.57 for every dollar saved. What a deal!

So keep the faith - they'll do just as great a job with health care,
too!!!

No end to silliness (or is it craziness?)

Where to begin? I thought I had seen everything but every day brings out more craziness. Now the Faux nation is encouraging its readers to keep their kids at home so they won't be indoctrinated by President Obama's back to school speech to America's school children on Tuesday, 08 September. His message urging "students to take personal responsibility for their own education, to set goals, and to not only stay in school but make the most of it" is indoctrination? I thought that was part of the school's mission? Isn't that why we have tax supported public education? Critics point to the letter writing exercise in lesson plans suggested by the Department of Education. I taught for 35 years in a public school and I didn't rely on lessons planned by others, I often used their ideas but would tailor them to my students and their needs. Schools across the country are telling their teachers to refrain from showing the speech live to their students. Some schools are taping the speech and allowing the teachers to show it after giving the students (parents) a chance to "opt out". This is the President. This is the United States of America. Why are we so fearful that our President would indoctrinate our students in a "pep talk" speech that kicks off the school year. What is the motivation of the critics. It does not appear to me that they are looking out for the best interests of our students. We may see even more sponsors give up on Beck, O'Reilly, et. al.