Cash for Clunkers was not the epitome of wasteful government spending critics make it out to be. Cash for Clunkers shook many hands while driving away the dark cloud that lingered over the U.S. economy.

Of course, it helped the auto industry by selling cars, but in selling those cars, it insured that 2010 models would be produced, instead of a market flooded by 09 models. Cash for Clunkers also helped the related industries of steel, freight and financial services, while paying lip service to the environmental lobby. To understand the largest impact of Cash for Clunkers, you have to talk to the people that used it.

Jim Wesselman, a retired teacher in East Moline, and Sue Wesselman, a physical education teacher, were enticed by Cash for Clunkers to trade in their 1995 Nissan Quest. Their clunker was not a primary vehicle for either of them, but used to haul junk. Sue Wesselman said they weren’t in the market before Cash for Clunkers, but chose to take advantage of the government rebate.

“We just thought that after our whole life of giving to the government, we’d take advantage of the government giving back to us,” said Sue Wesselman.

Jacques Betts, an academic advisor at NIU, has not personally used the program, but was with his sister and mother when they traded in their 19 year old vehicles. His sister Giselle, an instructor at Aurora University, traded in her 96 Blazer for a 2009 Mariner. The next day, prompted by the accessibility of the program and by the savings, his mother Everlena drove off in a new fully loaded Mountaineer with 1/3 taken off the price. Betts said they would not have bought these automobiles if it had not been for Cash for Clunkers.

“They took advantage of Cash for Clunkers, I winterized my home. All these things that needed to be done, the funds are there, and we’re doing it,” said Betts.

His mother plans on buying granite countertops and his sister is looking into a new laptop with the all the money they saved with Cash for Clunkers.

Sherri Harding, an Athletics Secretary at United Township High School in East Moline, said her and her husband were looking to use the program, but the program ended before they were ready to buy. This does not mean, however, that Cash for Clunkers did not save her money.

“I have a 1995 Pontiac Bonneville that has 189,000 miles on it. I had to have it in for service yesterday and out of the eight things that needed to be fixed on it, seven of them could be found at a junk yard because of the abundant Cash for Clunker cars. Out of the seven things that could be recycled from a junked car, five of them were out of date parts and were no longer available. One was a switch that actually burnt in my car that allows me to have dash lights at night. Because of the Cash for Clunker car being available, I saved over $1000.00 on repairs for parts alone,” said Harding.

While Cash for Clunkers did not save the economy, or get everyone a new ride, and will not entirely save the auto industry, or the environment, it did the best that a broad government program can do. Cash for Clunkers succeeded in the fact that it helped the people who used it by getting them into safer, more fuel efficient vehicles. Even beyond those that used the program directly, Cash for Clunkers helped those who are trying to maintain their clunkers by creating spare parts.

Tax payers should be more satisfied with their tax money being spent on selling 690,000 automobiles, versus 25 Joint Strike Fighters.

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