Follow along here...
1. The government decides to give away something for free.
2. People rush to take advantage of the offer: a needed product at a government-subsidized, lower-than-market rate.
3. Bureaucratic screwups, government delays and burdensome paperwork overwhelm the private sector.
4. The program quickly runs out of money - about 95% faster than the government economists predicted.
5. The government closes up shop as the money runs dry.
6. The private sector is left holding the bag for unfulfilled government promises.
7. Some citizens got lucky because they rushed to the front of the line before the rationing set in.
8. The government comes back to the taxpayers for more money.
1. ("'Cash for clunkers' offers up to $4,500 rebate on a new car purchase.")
2. ("car shoppers flock to dealerships to take advantage of the rebates")
3. ("dealers raised concerns about large backlogs in the processing of the deals in the government system")
4. ("The program was scheduled to last through Nov. 1 or until the money ran out, but few predicted it would be depleted in days")
5. ("Transportation Department officials called lawmakers earlier Thursday to alert them of plans to suspend the program as early as Friday.")
6. ("he was worried that the government wouldn't pay for some of his clunker deals. His dealership has completed paperwork on about 20 sales under the program, but in some cases the titles haven't been obtained yet or the vehicles aren't on his lot. 'There's no doubt I'm going to get hammered on a deal or two,'")
7. ("22,782 vehicles had been purchased through CARS")
8. ("Lawmakers said they would try to find additional funding for the program, which under the legislation could grow to $4 billion".)
These are the people who want to be in charge of your health care.
