OT- Help and HARM from Cash for Clunkers

My following post was deemed politically unacceptable on the SDC Forum, but some of us still think it is worth reading. "Yes, I know there have seen several threads on Cash for Clunkers, but I have some real life stories to relate. First, C4C helped me because I got a mint tail gate VERY CHEAP for my '95 Dodge Ram. My daughter-in-law is a manager for a medium size salvage yard (she's a "car" person). Since C4C they have received about 1,000 "clunkers" from dealers within about 25 miles of their yard. Here's the HARM part. My tailgate came off a 48,000-mile, garage-kept, pristine '96 Ram. Other "clunkers" they have received include an '03 Mustang, an '01 Rodeo with low miles in perfect condition, an '06 Kia Sedona with everything including back seat DVD, an '03 Grand Cherokee, several Jaguars and BMWs and many other similar examples. She says only a small number of the vehicles are truly clunkers- mostly old high miles Chevrolet trucks. She says the largest number of clunkers were Dodge trucks, MoPar minivans, Jeeps (all models), Ford Aerostars, Ford trucks, etc. She talked to some of the dealer mechanics who had to "put down" the clunkers. They said it broke their hearts to do it to most. In case you didn't know the method, they pour a liquid glass solution in the crankcase filler and run the engines until they seize. This solution ruins any moving part of the engine that is engine-oil lubricated. With her knowledge of the auction market she said most of the "clunkers" would be worth at least $3500-$4500 as trade-ins. And to some degree dealers have shot themselves in the foot because now they are way short on used cars in their inventories (a dealer told me some time ago that they make their money on used cars, not the new car sales). Other HARMs- her yard can only hold up to 2,000 cars. To make room for the clunkers they had to crush hundreds of cars that still had many usable parts. And, they are getting the cars at such a rate that they can't hire enough help to dismantle them in the time allowed under the C4C program. So, more usable parts will go to the crusher. Charity programs- The various charities that get a good bit of their revenue from donated cars are badly hurt- no one is donating cars. Low income people- Many people can't afford new cars or even good used cars. Many of the "clunkers" could have been bought by low income people, but now they aren't available. Everyone ready for another C4C program?" Paul Johnson