“Giving the domestic auto manufacturers money to keep afloat for awhile will do nothing to stimulate car sales or save jobs (which is what the economy needs).
 
“My suggestion is this: Rather than give the car companies $34 billion or whatever they are asking for, why not use that money to simulate car sales by giving away vouchers to buy a new car?
 
“If the average new car costs $24,000, the U.S. government could give away vouchers worth $24,000 to ONE MILLION TAXPAYERS!   
 
“Yes, that’s ONE MILLION TAX PAYERS who could be driving a new car compliments of Uncle Sam.
 
“The vouchers could be applied to any domestically produced new car or truck.
 
“Doing this would help clear unsold inventory from new car dealerships, help the auto workers keep their jobs by creating demand for new cars from the bottom up instead of trying to force it from the top down, and help keep the car companies afloat by allowing them to earn the bucks from Uncle Sam.
 
“Who would get the vouchers?  Have a lottery for any taxpayer who makes less than $80,000 a year, or any family that makes less than $150,000 a year.
 
“This would certainly create a lot of positive buzz and do a LOT more to turn around the auto industry than giving the car companies billions so they can lay off more workers.”

Don’t know. Maybe this makes more sense than tossing more money into Detroit’s mismanagement. Certainly more sense than a “car czar” from the public sector.

If you have comments to share, send to me at [email protected].

– Jim Smith