John Stossel and 20/20 nail Obama-care to the wall

[HAL 9000 96]

Cash for clunkers went well? I suppose thats why it ran out of money so fast, and thousands of dealerships STILL haven't received the money they paid out yet.

I agree that it was an ill-conceived program in many ways, but still not a good comparison w/ healh care.

It was such a failure that the dealerships are waiting on their payments because the gUvmInt is backlogged processing the failed paperwork.

Dream land! The government has proved so many times they cant run anything! My god man whats it take for some ppl to realize this well known fact?

Cash for clunkers went well.

really? i'm looking out the back window of my office. 1.6 million in clunkers waiting to get paid for...or repo'd

So what's the latest word?

you'll see it soon.....same as the word a month ago. i dunno what dealers are going to do. repo or eat it. surely the gov't will pay them eventually... i just don't know if the smaller dealers will be able to float it long enough.

I can see FOX running a report on how it was all a scam.

[SMOKE 1,426]

I can see FOX running a report on how it was all a scam.

it wouldn't suprise me they'll do anything to get people pissed at obama. seems the gov't didn't think it was going to go as well as it did. i don't know how the contracts read on the clunker deals but, the dealers that put the $$ out of pocket sure seem pissed....i wonder if they can legally repo, since it was a gov't program.

[HAL 9000 96]

I can see FOX running a report on how it was all a scam.

it wouldn't suprise me they'll do anything to get people pissed at obama. seems the gov't didn't think it was going to go as well as it did. i don't know how the contracts read on the clunker deals but, the dealers that put the $ out of pocket sure seem pissed....i wonder if they can legally repo, since it was a gov't program.

I'm sure its not like the Feds are sitting on their hands on this. I haven't seen the paperwork but I will ask family that work in the car biz about the turnaround. The part about not recycling the engines themselves bugged me a bit... although the clunkers themselves are reportedly being shredded and will be used to build more efficient cars. The delay is not to be unexpected unless the crybabies being disagreeable are just doing so out of spite- which again... really isn't to be unexpected.

[Heracles 417]

you'll see it soon.....same as the word a month ago. i dunno what dealers are going to do. repo or eat it. surely the gov't will pay them eventually... i just don't know if the smaller dealers will be able to float it long enough.

It's good to see US car dealers at the other end of the stick. Maybe the government can pull a, what's it called again, spot delivery scam.

Edited August 28, 2009 by haza

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Dream land! The government has proved so many times they cant run anything! My god man whats it take for some ppl to realize this well known fact?

Cash for clunkers went well.

I see how well Enron ran things. Maybe you could go to all of those Marc equivalents who lost their entire retirement in that company and tell them how well private companies run things.

If you pay poorly and hire clowns, public or private, anything will be run into the ground. Especially if the people working there are corrupt.

We agree again! I knew we could find some common ground. Cash for clunkers was good for the consumer and the auto industry. Granted, they have to wait for their money, but they'll get it. GM and Chrysler have nothing to complain about, the others are being inconvenienced, but they've been screwing the public for decades.

[Heracles 417]

We agree again! I knew we could find some common ground. Cash for clunkers was good for the consumer and the auto industry. Granted, they have to wait for their money, but they'll get it. GM and Chrysler have nothing to complain about, the others are being inconvenienced, but they've been screwing the public for decades.

Car dealers have been screwing people for years. Car dealers should not even exist. I should be able to buy the car directly from the manufacturer and pick it up at a store or even have it delivered to my house. Why should I line the pockets of the owner of XYZ dealership?

When they rip people of it's just business. Yet they are going broke or are asked to close down, they cry murder. There are hundreds of sites dedicated to the scams they pull. yet they want their money. As if they designed, tested and built the car or something.

Edited August 28, 2009 by haza

[spookyturtle 9,466]

We agree again! I knew we could find some common ground. Cash for clunkers was good for the consumer and the auto industry. Granted, they have to wait for their money, but they'll get it. GM and Chrysler have nothing to complain about, the others are being inconvenienced, but they've been screwing the public for decades.

Car dealers have been screwing people for years. Car dealers should not even exist. I should be able to buy the car directly from the manufacturer and pick it up at a store or even have it delivered to my house. Why should I line the pockets of the owner of XYZ dealership?

When they rip people of it's just business. Yet they are going broke or are asked to close down, they cry murder.

The dealers earned the reputation they have over the long haul. It tales a long time to regain credibility again. Most of what we purchase as consumers is at a set price and not negotiable. Autos are another story. You may be a good negotiator and genuinely get a good deal while someone else buys the same car and pays thousands more. The majority of buyers are not comfortable with the buying process, and there are too many dealers waiting to pick their pockets clean.

[Heracles 417]

The dealers earned the reputation they have over the long haul. It tales a long time to regain credibility again. Most of what we purchase as consumers is at a set price and not negotiable. Autos are another story. You may be a good negotiator and genuinely get a good deal while someone else buys the same car and pays thousands more. The majority of buyers are not comfortable with the buying process, and there are too many dealers waiting to pick their pockets clean.

Dealers shouldn't have the opportunity to rip people off like that. There are various ways the government can regulate the industry but few will because their pockets are being lined by these very same dealers. Many dealership have become very rich at the expensive of innocent people who just don't know the process. The same practices in any other industry would be illegal and probably a felony. Imagine a retail store tried a spot delivery scam equivalent, they'd be fined; and we are hypothetically talking about a few bucks rather than tens of thousand spent in a dealership.

The dealership can outsmart people in anyone of the three stages: 1. trade-in. 2. purchase price 3. finance.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Cash for clunkers was just another corporate welfare scam. Taxpayers pay so huge corporations can get money.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

The dealers earned the reputation they have over the long haul. It tales a long time to regain credibility again. Most of what we purchase as consumers is at a set price and not negotiable. Autos are another story. You may be a good negotiator and genuinely get a good deal while someone else buys the same car and pays thousands more. The majority of buyers are not comfortable with the buying process, and there are too many dealers waiting to pick their pockets clean.

Dealers shouldn't have the opportunity to rip people off like that. There are various ways the government can regulate the industry but few will because their pockets are being lined by these very same dealers. Many dealership have become very rich at the expensive of innocent people who just don't know the process. The same practices in any other industry would be illegal and probably a felony. Imagine a retail store tried a spot delivery scam equivalent, they'd be fined; and we are hypothetically talking about a few bucks rather than tens of thousand spent in a dealership.

The dealership can outsmart people in anyone of the three stages: 1. trade-in. 2. purchase price 3. finance.

How true. It would probably be illegal in any other industry. Imagine if the grocery stores and WalMart etc were like that. There would be an uproar. I think people have accepted it with the auto industry because it has been that way for so long.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Cash for clunkers was just another corporate welfare scam. Taxpayers pay so huge corporations can get money.

Taxpayers have already given GM and Chrysler tens of billions without receiving any benefit for their efforts. At least with cash for clunkers, the consumer got something for their dollars.

[luckytxn 2,264]

Cash for clunkers was just another corporate welfare scam. Taxpayers pay so huge corporations can get money.

Taxpayers have already given GM and Chrysler tens of billions without receiving any benefit for their efforts. At least with cash for clunkers, the consumer got something for their dollars.

True. That is why I said ANOTHER.

[Heracles 417]

True. That is why I said ANOTHER.

So how do you stimulate the economy? Tax cuts? pleeeeeease.

The dealers earned the reputation they have over the long haul. It tales a long time to regain credibility again. Most of what we purchase as consumers is at a set price and not negotiable. Autos are another story. You may be a good negotiator and genuinely get a good deal while someone else buys the same car and pays thousands more. The majority of buyers are not comfortable with the buying process, and there are too many dealers waiting to pick their pockets clean.

Dealers shouldn't have the opportunity to rip people off like that. There are various ways the government can regulate the industry but few will because their pockets are being lined by these very same dealers. Many dealership have become very rich at the expensive of innocent people who just don't know the process. The same practices in any other industry would be illegal and probably a felony. Imagine a retail store tried a spot delivery scam equivalent, they'd be fined; and we are hypothetically talking about a few bucks rather than tens of thousand spent in a dealership.

The dealership can outsmart people in anyone of the three stages: 1. trade-in. 2. purchase price 3. finance.

How true. It would probably be illegal in any other industry. Imagine if the grocery stores and WalMart etc were like that. There would be an uproar. I think people have accepted it with the auto industry because it has been that way for so long.

A customer would have some sort of restitution, even if they were scammed $10 by walmart. Whereas, a car dealer can rip someone off, in the thousands, and get away with it.

Edited August 29, 2009 by haza

[Danno 1,228]

It's almost like people feel we are on a sinking ship so why not raid the bar and get free drinks.

Some might feel like they're on a sinking ship... the 'USS Sour Grapes'

The group which seems to have the worst (and yet most funny) case of SOUR GRAPES are those upset that the Health-Control plan is going down in flames.

Not to fear, they will pass some meaningless bill but it won't be the Dream Obama promised, thats for sure.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

A customer would have some sort of restitution, even if they were scammed $10 by walmart. Whereas, a car dealer can rip someone off, in the thousands, and get away with it.

Do car dealers operate this way in the rest of the world or is it primarily here?