Tax rebates on ALL union made cars, including gas engines (Hell Freeze Over edition . . . )

Photo above - When properly equipped, a gasoline powered F150 can tow up to 14,000 pounds. And now get an EV-like tax rebate, courtesy of Michigan's governor . . .

I don't even like tax rebates on battery powered toys. I'll be (unwelcome language removed) if I want to start subsidizing gasoline powered stuff too. Yet that is EXACTLY the proposal by Mrs. Goodwrench (Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer). See link at bottom.

Before you ask – no, Gretchen Whitmer is NOT facing a tough election fight in 2024. She just got re-elected in 2022. So this isn't some Hail Mary stunt. Not like the Biden administration is pulling with EV rebates targeted to UAW cars. Governor Whitmer's rebates would go to ANYTHING a union member touched with a wrench or screwdriver: electric, gas, diesel, unobtanium . . .

Does Whitmer even know that half the UAW members live and work OUTSIDE the state of Michigan? It only the retired ones who are clustered in her own state. Other big locations are Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin. There would have been a couple of huge Ford EV factories in places like Tennesse and Kentucky, but those were cut from the automaker's budget after the latest UAW contracts were signed.

I don't even live in Michigan, so why should I care what a career politician-nutjob like Whitmer does? (She's a 3rd generation lawyer and elected/appointed political official). Whitmer has zero credentials in economics. But this is such an insanely bad and economically destructive idea that it has to be stopped before it spreads any further. You can just imagine the meetings taking place in the White House West Wing this morning, as President Biden slumbers peacefully. A dozen aides are clustered in some 200-year-old oak paneled room, crunching the numbers:

“There are 14 million ICE vehicles sold each year in America. 5 million of those are made by UAW workers at Ford, GM and Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge/Ram. If Biden issues an executive order and puts a $5,000 tax rebate on each one, that's only $50 billion. And a landslide in 2024. And $50 billion is considered chump change these days, as any useful idiot on social media will point out.”

“Geeze, Quentin . . . is that even legal? An executive order to hand out $50 billion, just like that?”

“Who cares? We're only announcing it. The Supreme Court won't even schedule a hearing until after the election. Then Joe can just blame republicans if the court rules against it.” (all dialogue imaginary)

Stop laughing . . . .you KNOW this is how election strategies work.

Back to Michigan. I don't expect Whitmer's “rebates for gas guzzlers” to be passed by Michigan's legislature. She tried to pull something similar a couple of years ago, and nobody signed on. So, the legislature there might actually be smarter than the Governor. Even when it is a tough election year, they apparently can smell a stupid stunt right away . . .

I'm just sayin' . . .

Whitmer floats Michigan tax rebate plan for new vehicle purchases (detroitnews.com)