The losers that the private marketplace already judged them to be from the get-go. Obama famously said he’d put a million electric cars on the road – he hasn’t. But is that the purview of Government or even being the President, to decree to citizens what kinds of cars (and the energy they use) out of the blue under the Progressive / Socialist rubric (and “tell”) “It’s good for you”? Progressive Socialists certainly think so – look at all the tax monies that have been wasted propping up “green” companies that then go belly up – in fields that the marketplace has already judged them to be poor value.
The problem is that States also followed along like timid sheep in the “helping to pick winners” with all – like Georgia (reformatted, emphasis mine):
Without Government Subsidy, Electric Car Sales Crash in Georgia
For more than 15 years, Georgia offered one of the country’s most generous tax credits for people who bought electric cars. But the $5,000 subsidy went away three months ago, and a look by Watchdog.org at how the tax credit’s expiration has affected sales shows a dramatic drop in the number of all-electric cars such as Teslas and Nissan Leafs purchased in the Peach State.
And of course, the Cronies amongst them are already upset, putting them into a pitched battle against free marketers:
“That’s the assumption we’ve been making,” said Don Francis, coordinator of Clean Cities-Georgia Coalition, who was opposed to getting rid of the subsidy. “I thought the credit turned from an incentive into a virtual entitlement,” saidstate Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, who spearheaded the drive in the state Legislature to sunset the tax credit.
And with that sunsetting came the obvious behavior – no, not motivated by actual benefits but “free money”:
The subsidy expired July 1, and Francis shared motor vehicle data with Watchdog.org obtained from automotive information company R.L. Polk & Co.to see how sales were affected. According to Georgia car registrations, sales shot up as electric car buyers rushed to take advantage of the tax credit before it expired. But the numbers declined sharply in July and took a swan dive in August—the most recent month tabulated:
The decline from 1,338 in June to 148 in August represents a drop of 88.9 percent.
Again, the “free money” bit distorting the marketplace and how people would spend their own money (while having no problem in how Government was spending other peoples’ money on their behalf):
Second, when the state break of up to $5,000 was added to the credit of up to $7,500 the federal government already gives electric car buyers, drivers in Georgia could lease one of the lower-priced electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf for about $200 a month and end up spending very little money out of their own pocket. “It was never really free, but it was very inexpensive,” Francis conceded.
Fine, give me $12,500 – out of your own pocket. Then again, as I buy another car – at your expense. Then tell me “inexpensive”. You know why I have contempt for Government? I’m tired of constantly turning around and the equivalent of having a cuppa coffee taken from me at every turn.
But again, here’s the Progressive view of people and the proper role of Government:
“Historically, we have used the tax code to give people [incentives] to do the right thing and [offer them disincentives] from doing the wrong thing,” Francis said in a telephone interview, citing high taxes on things like cigarettes and tax breaks for home mortgages.
So that’s what this is all about – someone deciding that people are too stupid to do what THEY think is right. Or wrong. I know it happens all around us – but is social engineering the Proper Role of Government? Here’s the answer:
Benita Dodd, vice president of the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, a free-market think tank based in Atlanta, said it’s not the role of the federal or state government to offer incentives to private industries. “That’s social engineering,” Dodd said. “A lot of Nissan Leafs are on the road [in Georgia] because of this subsidy, but people are supposed to be driving electric cars because they’re supposed to be more environmentally responsible. So if you’re that concerned about the environment, then why not pay full price for what you’re getting?”
Ah yes, nice touch, that calling out of hypocrisy. But they are acting out of their own self-interest. It is up to government to keep morphing what that self-interest to be, as if they were merely herding sheep?
(H/T: Daily Signal)
