Why Can Clunker Cash Be Used for Foreign Cars?
Q. I think the “cash for clunkers” program is a great idea, but with one flaw: Why didn’t the government restrict new-vehicle purchases to American manufacturers? Wouldn’t this have given those companies the sales they need, as well as force those interested in the rebate to take a look at American makes they may not have otherwise? — T.D., Naperville, Ill. A. Just because the U.S. government implements cash for clunkers to buoy the ailing U.S. auto industry that was slashing thousands of jobs and just because the money to fund the program is coming out of the U.S. Treasury and just because plants and workers who build and sell European, South Korean or Japanese cars could get healthier depending on how much of the $1 billion ends up with the European, South Korean and Japanese automakers, doesn’t mean the system is flawed. Cash for clunkers is a boon to domestic automakers in that it helps get a bunch of Pontiacs off the road sooner than the government had planned. Q. Is the Pontiac
