FDR gave America the New Deal, which helped bring the country out of the Depression. President Obama has given us "Cash for Clunkers," which is a Great Deal and has raised the spirits of depressed automakers, auto dealers, and, best of all, auto buyers.
It's a concept that has been wildly popular, arguably the most effective of all the stimulus packages to come out of Washington since Obama took office.
While debate rages in D.C. as to whether to continue the program, which burned through $1 billion even more quickly than Charles Barkley goes through cash in Las Vegas, I say it's a no-brainer -- not only politically and economically, but also athletically.
The program should not only be continued, it also should be greatly expanded to include the world of sports.
Let's start small, on a personal level, and then move on to discuss the larger picture.
The golf industry is struggling. Fewer rounds are being played. Private clubs are hard-pressed to retain members. Consequently, less equipment is being sold.
So how about I get 100 bucks from Uncle Sam to trade in my old driver? Or the same for the set of irons I've had for years now? I'd settle for $20 bucks for my putter, especially considering that a variety of playing partners have suggested that it isn't worth two cents.
With those kinds of incentives, plus a rebate from Calloway or Nike, Ping or Mizuno, I could try to buy a game, lowering my handicap while boosting the economy at the same time.
Along those same lines, I think I should be in line for some of the bailout money that's been given to the big banks, whose risk-management was woeful.
I, too, have made some ill-considered investments recently.
Saratoga is supposed to be horse racing's Graveyard of Favorites. But the favorites have had no problem outrunning the long shots I've backed -- think sub-prime runners, rather than sub-prime mortgages -- and so my levels of capital have shrunk dramatically.
Surely, if the likes of Bank of America and CitiGroup are entitled to TARP funds, I am, too.
But that's not part of the Cash of the Clunkers concept, which I feel has wide-ranging and potentially advantageous possibilities in the world of sports.
Consider the Red Sox, whose once-powerful pitching staff seems suddenly very shaky as they head into Yankee Stadium this weekend to try to maintain their dominance this season over the Bronx Bombers and regain first place.
Dice-K cost Boston $103 million. How's about they trade him in and get some of that cash back? Perhaps adding the latest, fastest model from Japan in the bargain?
If ever a player qualified as a clunker, it would be former Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo, who became the baseball equivalent of a toxic asset.
Given what's going in Congress, shouldn't the government pick up the tab for his inflated salary, rather than have the Red Sox continue paying him, even though he's now playing for the Cardinals?
Come to think of it, let's add J.D. Drew to the mix. He seems to break down with disturbing frequency, as clunkers so often do, not to mention the fact that $14 million a year is a lot to pay for a guy hitting .250.
Why, you may well ask, does a franchise as successful as the Red Sox deserve government assistance?
Well, if any team fits the category of "too big to fail," it's the Red Sox. Even given the popularity of the Patriots, no franchise is bigger in New England.
Nationally, consider teams such as the Pittsburgh Pirates and Kansas City Royals. Talk about clunkers.
Those franchises should be allowed to dump their entire rosters and use the proceeds to purchase new, more promising talent. It would stimulate fan interest, not just in cities with teams that are perennial also-rans, but also throughout the league, as more teams emerge as legitimate contenders for postseason play.
The possibilities extend across the sports spectrum.
How about New England Patriots' running back Laurence Maroney? Talk about not running as well as expected. The Pats thought they'd gotten a Lamborghini when they drafted him in the first round in 2006. Instead, they've gotten, well, a clunker.
Perhaps Uncle Sam could reimburse the Pats for the price of Maroney's signing bonus -- hey, it's not as if owner Robert Kraft hasn't paid a few dollars in taxes over the years -- and then the Pats could sign a running back who runs effectively and regularly.
Such scenarios are almost endless. That's why the "Cash for Clunkers" should keep on rolling.
(Contact Jim Donaldson at jdonalds(at)projo.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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