Give It Up for "Cash for Clunkers"
I live in a “mixed” neighborhood, that is to say, some of us have small cars with good mpg, hybrids, even a few electric ones, while others have some real gas guzzlers. Not only does the neighborhood take on an exhaustive, odoriferous nature when these big clunkers drive down the street in a purple haze, but the cars take up a lot of extra curb space once they’re parked. I wouldn’t say that there is a genuine feud going on between the high and low mpg folks. Let’s just say that sometimes it’s hard to feel neighborly.
So, when the government’s “cash for clunkers” program started, I can’t begin to tell you how happy I was. Ed and Millie, three houses down on the right, two kids and a Golden Retriever, were the first to cash in their car, a 1998 Chevy Impala, for a Sierra Hybrid. I actually brought them some of the chocolate cupcakes I’d made for my youngest son’s summer school picnic.
Before long, over half (of the half of the neighbors) who drove the gas guzzlers had traded them in a smaller, more fuel efficient car. The whole neighborhood was ready to celebrate by then, and since the smaller cars left so much more room on the street, we celebrated with a block party!
Hey, thanks you, Congress, for extending the “cash for clunkers” funding. Their are a lot of neighborhoods out there who could use a reason to celebrate!
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Meanwhile, the kids in my neighborhood were sad because they realized they would have to pay for those new cars eventually, through increased taxes and the devaluation of the dollar. I’ll let them know that you have more curb space though, that should cheer them up.
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