When Congress passed a new law to give people up to $4,500 to junk their old cars and buy new, more efficient ones, the auto industry cheered. But some charities say they'll be the unintended victims of this program, and so will the low-income people they try to help:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106612934

My agency, Refugee and Immigration Services, is very concerned that the Cash for Clunkers program will decrease the number of donated cars we receive. Our clients are really struggling in this job market and must go farther away, work more shifts that aren't on the bus schedule and share expenses by carpooling. The cars we get go directly to the clients, which used to give us an added incentive over some other charities because the donors could take the full tax advantage. Now, however, we and others who put cars directly into clients' hands will be competing with the government for the cars. This is just one more difficult hurdle for non-profits. Car donations are absolutely crucial to this agency and its clients.

Carol