Opinion: A Modest Proposal: Eco-Friendly Stimulus

[2008-12-23 17:07:26]

【正文】

CONOMISTS and members of Congress are now on the prowl for new ways to stimulate spending in our dreary economy. Here’s my humble suggestion: “Cash for Clunkers,” the best stimulus idea you’ve never heard of. Cash for Clunkers is a generic name for a variety of programs under which the government buys up some of the oldest, most polluting vehicles and scraps them. If done successfully, it holds the promise of performing a remarkable public policy trifecta ― stimulating the economy, improving the environment and reducing income inequality all at the same time. Cash for Clunkers is not the pipe dream of some academic scribblers. Local variants are either now in operation or have been tested in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /> California , Colorado , Delaware , Illinois , Texas , Virginia and several Canadian provinces. So there is no need for a “proof of concept.” Rather, a national Cash for Clunkers program could learn from all this experience in building a better system. By pulling millions of old cars off the road, Cash for Clunkers would stimulate the demand for new cars as people trade up. It need hardly be pointed out that our ailing auto industry, like our ailing economy, could use a shot in the arm right now. Scrapping two million or more clunkers a year should help. With today’s concerns over stimulus, inequality and greenhouse gases, as well as an aging vehicle fleet, Cash for Clunkers is an idea whose time may finally have come.



Source: 中国车商网
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