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Cash for Clunkers

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money-flying-awayBy all accounts, the cash for clunkers program has been a huge success. Never mind the fact that auto dealerships want nothing to do with the bureaucratic red tape and if at all possible will steer a customer toward conventional financing. The fact of the matter is that it has been a real boost to the economy. So who really has benefited from this program?
  • Some consumers, who traded up from old gas guzzlers to spiffy new fuel-efficient models,
  • Auto dealers, who were able to dump inventory and pay their financiers,
  • Banks, who all of a sudden, had some new auto loan volume, with up to $4,500 down-payments,
  • Auto companies, especially Ford, Toyota, Honda and Nissan, who led the pack in sales. Conspicuously absent from the list were the beneficiaries of the government's bailout program, General Motors and Chrysler. The car companies were also able to unload a bunch of inventory,
  • Unions, who conceivably will be called back to work to replace all of that sold inventory,
  • Steel manufacturers, such as Nucor, who will be able to buy cheap scrap steel and turn it into something usable,
  • The green movement, because these new cars will be spitting out fewer greenhouse gas emissions,
  • And the biggest winner of all, the Obama Administration, who was able to satisfy a number of constuencies and supporters, namely, the unions, the green folks, and the car companies they now run (GM and Chrysler). In the process, the President will be able to boast how this will boost the nation's Gross Domestic Product and single-handedly pull us out of recession.
With so many winners, how can there be any losers? Of course, [...]

Dictators vs Coaches

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I was reading a book yesterday by John Maxwell called "Developing the Leaders Around You" (1995, Injoy, Inc.) On page 161, Rev. Maxwell describes the difference between dictators and "dream team coaches", or "facilitators". In Maxwell's words:

Dictators

Facilitators
Hoard decisions. Push decisions down the line.
Make decisions alone or restrict them to an elite group. Involve others as much as possible in key decisions and give people space to make those decisions [...]

Enjoy Your Last Term

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One of the more interesting developments surrounding the “health care” debate is the incredible inability of the left to read, understand and consider the mood of the general electorate.  The town hall meetings being held across the country embody the...
Town Hall Feedback

How To Read A Bill

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Reading StackNot something you have to pay for (well, maybe), but legislative bills. Kim Lehman wrote a piece at Caffeinated Thoughts (Shane took a few days of well-deserved vacation). She provides some key valuable insights into how to understand a bill's content. Well worth the time! Kind of scary to think that more constituents are reading these bills than the Congressmen and Senators themselves. We'll add a link to this in TCR Tools as well. Reading Assignment:
HR 2454: Cap and Trade
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