There has been a lot of talk concerning the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), better known as the "Cash for Clunkers" program. This blog is concerning something a little different than what you may think it's about. It is not about the fact that the government set aside 1 billion taxpayer dollars to stimulate new car sales or that they may add another 2 billion dollars by the time you read this.

I am not writing this to let you know that thousands of vehicles we would have been able to maintain for many years to come will be destroyed. I am sure you already know that. You also know that when many new cars are sold, it is implied that the buyer must take it to the dealer for maintenance in order to "keep the warranty in effect." This all means that many of our customers that would have either held on to their old car for a few more years or bought a used car that would most likely come to us for service, will now buy a new one and in some cases, you will not see your loyal customer for a few years.

I am not even going to get into the fact that one of the reasons for the economic slowdown was that many Americans overextended themselves. Some were told that now is the time to buy a new house and they were encouraged to get as much house as possible. And now we have our government encouraging Americans to buy a new car. Not to get their car repaired, not to buy a used car, but to buy a new car. Of course, in many cases the consumer who had what is referred to as a clunker was driving it so he or she could live within their means.

I will not say a lot about it, but surely those who helped pass the bill realize that many of the cars the program is designed to help sell are imported vehicles. Selling these will most definitely help the banks and will help the economy to a certain extent, but most likely will put the average American further in debt.

I guess by now you are asking what I am writing this blog about. Well, here it is. I am writing this to ask you a question: How did they do it? How did 20 manufacturers and 20,514 dealerships get together and talk our Congress into sponsoring a 1-to-3 billion-dollar rebate program with our money?

I'll tell you how they did it. They stuck together.

They are very competitive when it comes to selling cars and service. They are members of many specialized associations. But when it comes down to setting a goal for the overall industry, they stick together to accomplish that goal with one voice.

America has 78,616 independent repair shops. If the manufacturers and dealerships can get the government to sponsor a 1 billion dollar (so far) rebate program for them, think what 78,616 independent repair shops could do if we were to stick together. It is fine to be a part of other associations, but ASA should be our voice. I urge you to invite your peers to join ASA. I ask you to become active in ASA and start making plans now to attend the real CARS (not the rebate one) Nov. 5-7 in Las Vegas. I hope to see you there.