What's in a name?

You might have thought that after the "bailout," DC would learn to watch its language. (It was pointed out at the time that a "rescue plan" might have been a much easier sell than a "bailout.")

I finally saw some of the terms for the Cash for Clunkers program over at the BBC. Hoo boy.

Want to make people mad? Tell them their neighbor's three-year old, still-shiny SUV is a "clunker" because it gets 17 mph, but their ten-year old sedan with the A/C problems and the busted trunk latch isn't, because it's still making 25-27 mph. That way, it'll seem as unfair and counter-intuitive as possible.