Comments for The Law of Unintended Consequences...

The Law of Unintended Consequences...

2009-10-22T08:29:43Z

...or, "Proof That Nobody In Congress Actually Knows What's In The Bills They Vote On."

Congress has included golf carts in its definition of "Energy-efficient Automobiles."

We thought cash for clunkers was the ultimate waste of taxpayer money, but as usual we were too optimistic. Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart.

I thought it was a spoof. It's not.

This golf-cart fiasco perfectly illustrates tax policy in the age of Obama, when politicians dole out credits and loopholes for everything from plug-in cars to fuel efficient appliances, home insulation and vitamins. Democrats then insist that to pay for these absurdities they have no choice but to raise tax rates on other things—like work and investment—that aren't politically in vogue. If this keeps up, it'll soon make more sense to retire and play golf than work for living.

Congress seems absolutely bound and determined to

1. throw our tax dollars at anything and everything under the sun in the name of "stimulus" or "pwotecting the enviwonment"

and

2. re-invent itself as the biggest semi-permanent clown show this side of the Ringling Brothers winter quarters.

On the bright side, they're giving both The Onion and TNOYF some pretty stiff competition...

Comment from Cricket on 2009-10-23

2009-10-23T16:41:23Z

I still own my clunker which is paid off, and works like a dream. As to golf cart repair, I have no doubt that if someone who knew what they were doing re-did it, it would haul stuff. Around here, I have yet to see a golf cart hauling 6x6s, 2x6s and the assorted hardware to build a 320 sf deck.

Just saying...

Comment from Grimmy on 2009-10-23

2009-10-23T06:33:32Z

I don't see how this could be considered a negative by those who played this.

Intended consequence #1: do as much long term damage to US economy as is possible to get away with.

Intended consequence #2: buy votes with give aways.

The cash for clunkers wasn't ever about buying cars or any such. It was all about throwing away money and buying votes. The vote purchases were, primarily aimed at the auto workers union, but any collateral vote purchasing is just gravy.

Comment from BillT on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T16:33:21Z

Yeah. Little ones.

Comment from bad cat robot on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T16:30:47Z

Sorta like a baby camel spider wearing "Hello Kitty Zombie" jammies...

Picture or Photoshop, I don't care -- I need to see this

Comment from jim b on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T16:16:00Z

Yes .. we all know it takes balls to play golf.

Comment from BillT on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T15:59:15Z

Against what -- over-hooked golf balls?

Comment from jim b on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T14:06:55Z

Did you uparmor it too?

Comment from BillT on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T13:49:41Z

"Golf Cart Repair" was one of my job descriptions in one of the summer jobs I held before I could legally tend bar.

I geared one down and rewound the motor to use as a recovery vehicle to extract the rentals whose drivers thought they could hit Warp Three down the 18th fairway and still stop before they got to the Nissiquogue River. Sucker wouldn't do more than ten miles per, but it could haul 800 pounds of brakes-locked, waterlogged Cushman out of three feet of mud and drag it through dry sand...

Comment from Cricket on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T13:35:49Z

Peachtree City is Golf Cart heaven. I hate those *%$&(@ things. There seem to be golf cart parking spaces everywhere...you can't escape them. Not only that, a permit to operate one is not necessary, so you have to watch out for idiot teenagers who think they are immortal. The one place I have NOT seen golf-cart parking is in front of the local Home Depot. Heh. After all the lumber hauling we have been doing to finish the deck, no cart could have taken the loads the Yacht and the Precious have handled.

Comment from BillT on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T12:16:11Z

Awwwwww -- but it was *cute*.

Sorta like a baby camel spider wearing "Hello Kitty Zombie" jammies...

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T12:04:29Z

Bill's comment makes sense when you understand that I deleted the comment before I realized that Bill had monkey-wrenched it...

Comment from BillT on 2009-10-22

2009-10-22T09:06:14Z

Which -- golf carts, my commentary, or the spamlink to the jewelry site I just disabled?