One of the absolutely frustrating things that comes out of Washington policies is the realization that the pampered millionaires who advise Obama on financial policies have absolutely no knowledge of how real Americans live. The cash for clunkers law is today's perfect example.

Here is the basic deal; from August 1, 2009 until November 1, 2009 the U.S. government will pay auto dealers $3,500 to $4,500 to buy cars that get less than 18mph in an effort to remove cars that get less than 18mph from the road.

Here is real life where us non-millionaires live:

1) The majority of cars on the road that get less than 18mph are Hummers, Cadillac Escalades, Land Rovers, and the like. You cannot touch one of them, even an old one for $3,500 so the law is useless in accomplishing its major objective.

2) According to Edmunds.com, for $3,500 you can buy a 1994 Chevrolet Astro Van, or a 1988 Ford Bronco. For people who drive cars like these, the $3,500 is effectivley a down payment on a more expensive car which, undoubtedly, will be financed. Encouraging people with very limited economic resources to take on more debt right now is stupid beyond comprehension.

3) For a program scheduled to last three months, Congress has funded enough money to buy 250,000 cars. To put that in perspective, 250,000 cars is about one week's sales in this really depressed market.

4) Most cars on the road today get better than 18mph so none of them qualify.

So the net result of this completely unrealistic law is to waste taxpayer's money (that's you) without doing anything serious to reduce our dependence on imported oil.

With apoligies to Kurt Vonnegut, "So it goes".