Yes, in the, what?, three or four days that the Cash for Clunkers program was operational, 23,000 old cars got traded in for new, higher mileage cars. Figuring a very modest $15k/car, that's $345 million put into the economy in three or four days. Imagine what what have happened had it actually gone the 90 days it was supposed to.
If there was one thing that I was convinced would kick-start the economy, while simultaneously helping the environment, it was this. And lookee there, it worked.
It worked too well, though. It was too popular. It created a backlog that scared the auto industry, which, last I heard really needed this.
But, according to the link, it's been suspended. So sorry.
So, when someone says "we'll find the things that work and we'll be behind them, and we'll find the things that don't work and weed them out" ask them if they've got that right. Cuz, for the life of me, it looks like they could have gotten the economy moving in a hurry, and decided against it.