Cash for clunkers

Seems like an other way to get more people deeper into debt to me. Sure I would like to get  more money for my clunker than it is worth, but I do not need the debt of a new car nor the cost of insuring and newer car not the cost when it comes time to register it each year or so. So what is the real point of doing this clunker idea? One will spend much more than one saves on the gasoline being used by these older cars.