The ROTFLMAO news that the "Cash For Clunkers" program has gone broke in barely a week was a new example of a very old truth:

I'm reminded of something P.J. O'Rourke once said, in regard to "affordable housing": Every time the government promises to give you something for nothing, imagine the result if you tried this yourself. You'd quickly find yourself with a severe shortage of something and a whole lot of nothing. . . .