Watching this video of the execution of an innocent Volvo (which I had to force myself to do) made me feel a combination of emotions.

Sadness (yes, I'm not alone there), because even though I've never been a Volvo driver (I can remember howling with laughter when I saw George Carlin ridicule them as "safe cars"), this was obviously a perfectly good car. A lot of technology and human effort (to say nothing of raw materials) went into it, and someone could have used it. I might have bought it myself if it had been a good deal when I needed a used car.

But thanks to some sadistic-minded, wasteful edict emanating from the "green" mentality currently in vogue with the new adminstration, these clueless functionaries at the bottom of the cash-for-clunker hierarchy get to have fun pouring a liquid glass, "killer app" mixture into the crankcase, to make absolutely sure that no one can ever use that engine again.

So much for the idea of "recycling." The above is nothing less than an exercise in sheer waste.

In a sinister twofer, it represents both a waste of resources, plus a deliberate trashing of a once proud car culture:

"My most honest, most visceral response to Cash for Clunkers is sadness-sadness that old cars are being destroyed before their natural end. Older cars are rolling history. Chevrolet isn't making any more 1991 Chevrolet Caprices, for example. These cars are a non-renewable and, in my mind, precious resource."

I see the destruction of that engine as symbolizing pure, naked, raw, disgusting abuse of power.

I realize it will sound harsh, but I think that car was more useful than the useless bureaucrats who ordered its destruction.

Here's the assessment of Brian Dunbar (at whose blog I found the video):

Me, I'm driving a '97 Escort. I don't exactly like it but she runs well enough and my commute is short enough and I damn sure don't want a car payment.

And the government is paying blokes to destroy a nicer car than I've ever owned. Fuckers.

Government in action: pour in gunk to make the system lock up then gun the motor until it seizes.

And what the more malevolent among them would like to do to many of us....

MORE: M. Simon reminded me of a video he linked, showing the destruction of an American car, an Oldsmobile to be exact. Not that the make and models are especially relevant (most cars are multinational these days), but the point is that they're spending taxpayer's money to destroy perfectly good cars. It's wastefully destructive, and bad economics.

While I'm sure the bureaucrats would deny it, I can't help suspect that the anti "clunker" movement has at its core the belief that cars are bad.

It reminds me a little of the movement to destroy guns.