Under the "Cash for Clunkers" program of July-November 2009, the government paid car dealers between $3500 and $4500 per vehicle to destroy approximately 700,000 used cars traded in when purchasing a new automobile. Did this program increase new car sales, output, and employment in the auto industry in 2009? What impact did it have on new car sales in 2010 and subsequent years? Did it improve the living standards of Americans? Would Americans be better off if an outbreak of crime destroyed 700,000 automobiles during the next few months? Why or why not?