Hot Air » Blog Archive » Big winners in Cash for Clunkers: Toyota, Honda, and Nissan; Update: Parts business big losers?

The Obama administration spent three billion dollars subsidizing the destruction of 700,000 vehicles in order to boost car sales. Which auto makers actually benefited from these American tax subsidies? Reuters reports that foreign car manufacturers gained market share, while the two bailed-out American automakers lost significant portions of theirs in the big summer sale. Only Ford managed to hold its own
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Suddenly, the after-market parts industry has 700,000 fewer cars for maintenance.  And since Americans mainly traded American cars for foreign vehicles, that parts market will not bounce back for years.

[When wolves disturb elk (by trying to kill them), it's a valuable service that saves the planet!]

As Senators Mark Udall and John McCain held a formal hearing in Estes Park today concerning global climate change and its impact on national parks, conservationists called on the senators to acknowledge the roll that gray wolves necessarily play in buffering against the effects of climate change.
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“It’s time for places like Rocky Mountain National Park to be given some relief from scores of sedentary elk,” said Edward, referring to the fact that wolves keep elk and deer vigilant, thus relieving young trees and plants from excessive browsing. “It’s time for the government to learn the lessons of Yellowstone.”

[When humans disturb elk, it's just bad, because it harms the elk!]

 ATVs have also been found to disturb elk. One study found that elk moved twice as far from ATV disturbance than pedestrians...
Increased disturbance and stress - Disturbance to wildlife can result in increased energy expenditure and reduction of reproduction in wildlife.
· Noise and disturbance from off-road vehicles can result in a range of impacts for a number of species including altered movement patterns (e.g., Wisdom et al. 2004), avoidance (Janis and Clark 2002), and disrupted nesting activities (e.g., Strauss 1990).