Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on August 24, 2009

UPDATE, AUGUST 25, 2009
Believe it or not…
From Michelle Malkin: And now: Cash for Convicts!

This cartoon was prophetic... Obama and his merry miscreants about to launch another financial debacle in the spirit of 'Cash for Clunkers'

Rather than give me cash to buy appliances I don’t need, I am requesting that POTUS give me TAX BREAKS so that I can pay my staggeringly high August electricity bill.

Staying moderately cool in Arizona during the summer ain’t cheap, Mr. President… just ask your wife about why she wore those shorts to the Grand Canyon last week.

Business Week: Latest in Stimulus: ‘Cash for Refrigerators’
Coming this fall, a clunkers-type program to boost sales of energy-efficient home appliances will authorize rebates of $50 to $200
By Matthew Boyle | August 21, 2009

A $300 million cash-for-clunkers-type federal program to boost sales of energy-efficient home appliances provides a glimmer of hope for beleaguered makers of washing machines and dishwashers, but it’s probably not enough to lift companies such as Whirlpool (WHR) and Electrolux out of the worst down cycle in the sector’s history.

Beginning late this fall, the program authorizes rebates of $50 to $200 for purchases of high-efficiency household appliances. The money is part of the broader economic stimulus bill passed earlier this year. Program details will vary by state, and the Energy Dept. has set a deadline of Oct. 15 for states to file formal applications. The Energy Dept. expects the bulk of the $300 million to be awarded by the end of November. (Unlike the clunkers auto program, consumers won’t have to trade in their old appliances.)

“These rebates will help families make the transition to more efficient appliances, making purchases that will directly stimulate the economy,” Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in a statement announcing the plan. Only appliances covered by the Energy Star seal will qualify. In 2008, about 55% of newly produced major household appliances met those standards, which are set by the Energy Dept. and Environmental Protection Agency…

The “sell the sizzle” tone of this new federal program echoes that of “Cash for Clunkers.” And that has yet to be proven to be anything but a nightmare for auto dealers.

How many families going through unemployment or under-employment honestly need a new refrigerator right now?

Reminder, from recent Associated Press article:

NY dealers pull out of clunkers program

The Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which represents dealerships in the New York metro area, said about half its 425 members have left the program because they cannot afford to offer more rebates. They’re also worried about getting repaid…

Schienberg said the group’s dealers have been repaid for only about 2 percent of the clunkers deals they’ve made so far…

“But it’s in the hands of this enormous bureaucracy and regulatory agency,” he added. “If they don’t get out of their own way, this program is going to be a huge failure.”

Additional reading:
Michelle Malkin: And now: Cash for Kitchen Appliances and Wait, it gets better: Cash for Coiffures! and Cash for Clunkers, R.I.P. – for now and Stimulus…or smut-ulus? and Roll call vote: Senate rejects Cash-for-Clunkers aid to charities and poor and Obama lied, transparency died, Pt. 10,001: No Cash for Clunkers disclosure and Coming next: Planned Grandparenthood Centers and Grass-roots revolt in Austin, TX: “Just say no!” to Obamacare; Pennsylvanians boo Sebelius & Specter, “How can you manage health care when you can’t manage Cash For Clunkers?” and Cash for clunkers junked… but dealer ads still running and Waxman shortcircuits debate to ram eco-taxes through Congress
Andrew Marcus, Big Government: Barack Obama’s Working Families Party — “Tax The Rich and Give It Back To The Poor”
The Underground Conservative: Cash For Convicts
Moderate in the Middle: Your Tax Dollars At Work: Beauty School dropouts get stimulus grants, but no degrees…
Fire Andrea Mitchell!: Gird your loins for this fall – ‘Cash for Refrigerators’! and Your Stimulus tax dollars at work in New Hampshire – $37,000 for Coiffures and “Hair Ho”
The Pachyderms Are Annoyed: Because Cash for Clunkers Worked So Well….
Three Fish Limit: “Cash for?” — Ideas on how to spend “our” money
Poor Alan’s Almanack Blog: Because Cash for Clunkers Worked So Well….
Retailing In Focus: Here comes “cash for appliances”
Pundit & Pundette: What a waste
Frugal Café Blog Zone: And the Wheels of the Clunker Go Thunk, Thunk, Thunk: “Cash for Clunkers” Ending… Again and The Galling, Appalling Waste of “Cash for Clunkers” and Glenn Beck Warns ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Website As Government Scam to Gain Access to Everything–Yes, EVERYTHING–on Your Computer and “Cash for Clunkers” Complicated, Money Running Out: Mark Levin Asks, “If This Simple Program Is So Complicated, What Will Happen with Government Running Health Care?” and Polar Bear Numbers Surge to 50-Year High, Obama’s Approval Rating Plunges to New Dismal Low
Doug Powers, Michelle Malkin: Did ‘Cash for Clunkers’ just put Obamacare on the junk heap? Update: House adds $2 billion more to re-start the program

Categories: Economy, Environment and Earth, Government, Social and Political Climate
Tags: Cash for Appliances, Cash for Clunkers, Cash for Refrigerators, climate change, economic recession, federal program, global warming, government waste, Obama money, political, politics, taxes, taxpayers