Cash For Clunkers #1

For the past two years I've been driving a 1996 Ford E250 cargo van, so a couple of months ago when I heard about the possibility of the U.S. government authorizing a "Cash for Clunkers" program, I've been eager to learn more.

Cash for Clunkers is a controversial government program that would give new car buyers vouchers ranging from $3,500 to $4,500 towards the purchase of a new vehicle when they trade in their older, less fuel efficient automobile. Basically, if you are driving a gas-guzzling piece of crap, have had registered for the past year, and can afford a car note, the government will give the dealer - from which you are purchasing - a credit towards the new vehicle. No, they will not give you the money directly.

(1994 Ford E250 = 13 mpg)

To find out if your current car qualifies for the program, you can check its fuel efficiency by visiting: www.fueleconomy.gov

Although the European version of the program has been successful in increasing the number of new car purchases by about 450,000, the U.S. plan could increase car sales between 250,000 and one million units between July 1, 2009 (the scheduled start date) and the end of the year.

The program, which was a stand alone legislation, has been rolled into the $106 Billion emergency war funding bill that the senate passed last Thursday, and now awaits the President's signature. The original legislation called for $4B in funds which were to have come from the $787 billion economic stimulus package, but has been reduced to $1B as part of its inclusion in the war funding bill.

So if you are like me and have been contemplating how to replace and existing vehicle, this program might serve you some benefit. Of course you are going to have to be able to qualify for a loan, and have a car to trade in, but with the proposed voucher you might not have to come up with that much of a down payment.

Right now the bill remains unsigned, but chances are your local dealership is probably readying their ads for the upcoming July 4th weekend. It is still unclear how foreign car makers are going to take advantage of this offer, but Ford, GM, and Chrysler, are poised to lift themselves out of record sales declines if and when this goes into effect.

(2009 Ford E250 = 17 mpg)

Stay tuned for more info.

-whatdabusinessis.com

Death of Autotunes

"I WANT PEOPLE TO FEEL THREATENED"

"THIS IS FOR HOT 97"

"THIS IS THE DEATH OF AUTOTUNES.....MOMENT OF SILENCE"

-JAY-Z

It's 9:28pm Friday night in New York City and Hot 97.1's Funkmaster Flex and Mister Cee have been dropping bombs to Jay-Z's new record "Death of Autotunes," for the past half and hour.

ENORMOUS!!!!!

This is the funniest show I've heard in a minute. Flex and Cee are murdering everybody out there in radio-land, similar to how Jay bodied this track.

Never mind the fact that the record is nothing short of brilliant. There are enough one liners in here make it an instant classic.

Did I mention that the track pays homage to that song for loosers....."na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye." Don't quote me on that.

Jay-Z did a superb job of summing up the ills of the music industry to.

Shout out to No I.D. for that monstrous track.

So after all of that, you still have to go find the track elsewhere. Don't worry Hot97 will put up the video in a couple of hours.

-whatdabusinessis.com

P.S. - I know this isn't our primary area of coverage, but I couldn't resist. Back to Businsess