Skip Navigation
Derek Thompson

Derek Thompson - Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic, where he oversees business coverage for the website.
More

He is a visiting research fellow at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget at the New America Foundation. Derek has also written for Slate, BusinessWeek, and the Daily Beast. He has appeared as a guest on radio and television networks, including NPR, the BBC, CNBC, and MSNBC.

Cash for Clunkers Clunks as Dealers Leave in Droves

By Derek Thompson
Aug 20 2009, 1:05 PM ET Comment

All good things come to an end. So too do things of dubious goodness. And whether you place Cash for Clunkers in the first or second category, it's time to bow our heads and say goodbye to what was, at the very least, one of the most popular government stimulus programs in recent memory. Cash for Clunkers is ending, as auto dealers are bowing out of the program in fear that they have extended too many $4500 rebates for the government to reimburse.




The federal government's inability to spend money quickly was already the subject of much angst involving the general stimulus package, which famously doled out barely 10 percent of its $800 billion budget by early summer. This time, the backlog involves the Department of Transportation's inability to process rebates for old traded-in cars fast enough, making dealers worried that the backlog queue is growing so long, new rebates will never be reimbursed.

Is Cash for Clunkers a good idea? I don't think so. If you want to know why, go here.
Presented by

More at The Atlantic

The 10 Most Expensive Cities in the World (and How They Got That Way) The 10 Most Expensive Cities in the World
Dropping Out of the News News Junkie No More
The Most Insane, Illogical Award Choices in Oscar History The Most Insane, Illogical Award Choices in Oscar History
You've Never Seen a Picture of the Milky Way's Spiral You've Never Seen a Picture of the Milky Way's Spiral
Rick Santorum Wants Your Sex Life to Be 'Special' Rick Santorum Wants Your Sex Life to Be 'Special'

Join the Discussion

After you comment, click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be asked to log in or register.
blog comments powered by Disqus
Special Report
The Civil War National Portrait Gallery The Civil War
A 150th-anniversary commemorative issue, with Atlantic work by Mark Twain, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, and others. Read more ›
View All Correspondents

The Biggest Story in Photos

World Press Photo Contest 2012

Feb 15, 2012

Subscribe Now

SAVE 59%! 10 issues JUST $2.45 PER COPY

Facebook

Newsletters

Sign up to receive our free newsletters

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)

(sample)