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While greeting a Latino audience to support her husband’s speech about opportunities for Hispanics, Michelle Obama decided an exotic gown was in order. As President Barack Obama spoke at the black-tie event, the First Lady looked stunning in the strapless raw-silk dress by U.S. designer Chris Benz. She appeared to be inspired by an Amazonian peacock as she sashayed into the Washington Convention Center with matching emerald hued earrings and classic black heels. And Mrs Obama seemed delighted with the President’s pledge to put more money in the pockets of Latino workers by the look of her ear-to-ear grin on...

"Better Homes and Gardens" hasn't had a public figure on its cover in 48 years. With President Obama's approval rating plummeting along with the nation's employment picture, they must have figured now was the time to break with tradition and do an ultimate exposure puff piece on his wife: Better Homes and Gardens will feature First Lady Michelle Obama on the cover of its August issue - the first public figure to grace the magazine's cover in 48 years. Obama will be the focus of an article on healthful eating for children. The issue will hit newsstands July 19. Editors...

My President, The Car??? (Or, Show me the BIRTHFAX !!!) Way back in the olden days there was a TV show called “My Mother the Car.” Wiki says, “My Mother the Car is an American fantasy sitcom which aired for a single season on NBC between September 14, 1965 and September 6, 1966. A total of thirty episodes were produced by United Artists Television. Critics and adult viewers generally panned the show, often savagely. In 2002, TV Guide proclaimed it to be the second-worst of all time, just behind The Jerry Springer Show.[1] In 2010 The O’Reilly Factor recorded its...

At Friday's news conference, President Obama tried to connect with the common man coping with rising gasoline prices. Instead, the president left little doubt that he is clueless about cars. "You may want to buy a fuel-efficient car," quoth Obama, "but you may not be able to afford it. And so you're stuck with the old clunker that's getting 8 or 10 miles a gallon." Eight to 10 mpg? Which clunker would that be? I wondered. An old Hummer? Your father's father's Oldsmobile? A late-model Lamborghini? It takes a luxury brand, a boat-sized machine and/or a few decades to approach...

Obama says people are impatient but "now's not the time to quit...it took time to free the slaves...ultimately we'll make progress." White House Correspondent, Radio

After seeing this video and you don't believe that the title is true, then you must be blind.

A lot of the sales that would have happened in October, November and December have pulled forward. Consumers are now used to getting cars packed with incentives. Rising unemployment a problem as consumers not confident they can afford a new car. Watch: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=117221

Survey: ‘Clunkers’ Buyer’s Remose Nearly Three Times Than Normal Car Buying. Survey participants were nearly unanimous in their reason... They now have between a $275 and $350 new car payment to make each month...

This is a list of 20 quotes from people that dare to challenge that assumption that the Cash for Clunkers program is a success — by pointing out he obvious flaws few talk about. View the list of top 20 quotes: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116708

* Dealer: Sales increase have been great, ‘like someone turning on a faucet’ * Edmunds.com CEO: Clunkers hangover coming as future sales expected to plumet * Dealer: Great intentions, but not prepared for paperwork * Despite gains in fuel economy, program a small blip (fraction of 1%) of overall gains for the country Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116702

I was thinking about how the “Cash for Clunkers” program could lead to some interesting discussions in Park County if the Stampede Board decided to trade in its behemoth rodeo car. The federal program allows people to receive cash discounts, paid by the federal government, for people trading in old gas-guzzlers for brand new cars that get better gas mileage. The better the mileage, the greater the discount. There are plenty of limitations, including a limit on just how old the “clunker” can be to qualify. Still, just imagine how the discussion might go if the board approached a dealer...

WASHINGTON — AUG 21, 2009 — The federal cash for clunkers Web site for dealers crashed for part of the afternoon because of the government’s efforts to increase online capacity during the final days of the program, a Transportation Department spokeswoman said. At 8:00 PM ET, the website was restored for most dealers. However, some dealers have been reporting sporadic outages.

Survey of 800 Dealers: * 97% of dealers who responded, say the government is not reimbursing fast enough * 13% of dealers have dropped out the program because the government is not reimbursing fast enough and overall concern payment problems * 87% percent of dealers are concerned the money will be exhausted * 3% of CARS program deals have been reimbursed * 66% of dealers have not received one payment from the government Full survey results:

So here we are again. The biggest scandal to hit the White House: How much skin is really in? Hours upon hours have been spent talking about what a first lady should or should not wear. First, it was whether or not she had the right to “bare arms,” and now, pictures of Michelle wearing “short” shorts while on holiday with her family during yesterday’s trip to the Grand Canyon are sparking a similar debate. While most women would agree that shorts (at any length) are often tough to pull off, I think we should line up with hands raised...

Despite much effort, this clunker’s engine just refuses to go down. The amount of smoke emitted from 'big blue' is a testament to the fight. How inspirational! Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116379

BusinessWeek Senior Writer John Carey on whether the cash-for-clunkers program will result in lower consumption of gas. Watch Video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116374

"It’s a little redneck, but we love it, we accept it, we admit and we enjoy it." Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116368

Story and Video Here: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116364

Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116354 from CDR

Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116352

Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116331

Watch Videos: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116320

Watch Video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116322

Watch video: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=116303

Highlights * Many dealers are now requiring consumers to sign an agreement to pay back the ‘clunker’ credit if claim is denied * Official government rules for the CARS program forbid such agreements * Consumer advocate groups called on federal officials to crack down on abuse Some dealers are participating the the CARS program, informally known as ‘cash for clunkers’ but cherry picking to follow the rules that benefit them. Apparently, among all signatures required at closing, many dealers are including a clause that if the government denies the claim for your ‘clunker,’ you must repay the $3,500 or $4,500...

Highlights Higher car prices contibuting to a decreased interest in clunkers program. Smaller inventories means demand is outpacing supply. Little room for negotiations or dealer incentives. WATCH: http://www.cardealerreviews.org/?p=115569‘Clunker’ Interest Waning An industry forecast released on Tuesday showed a steady decline in ‘clunker’ related business ‘even though the Obama administration and Congress added $2 billion to the program in recent days with hopes of matching the success of its first weeks.’ “We see that interest dying down,” Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs said in an interview on the consumer auto industry resource group’s analysis of buyer intentions. “It’s still high. It’s...

...an independent analysis by Edmunds.com disputed those results, and showed that two full-size trucks and a small crossover SUV were actually among the top-ten buys. The discrepancy is a result of the methods used. Edmunds.com uses traditional sales measurements, tallying sales by make and model. The government uses a more arcane measurement method that subdivides models according to engine and transmission types, counting them as separate models.

The Obama administration is refusing to release government records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that would substantiate - or undercut - White House claims of the program's success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for $2 billion to boost car sales.

How much is your old family member worth? Turn them in to the nearest Planned Grandparenthood Center and find out! Receive cash prizes and free healthcare entitlements! As part of a new incentive tied to Obama's upcoming healthcare reform, the network of Planned Grandparenthood Centers are to begin running ads, themed "Double Cash for Your Old Coot." The push offers a cash incentive or zero-percent financing on top of free government plans for all families whose trade-in old-timers qualify for the government's program known as "Cash for Clunkers," up to a maximum of four grandparents over 70 years of age.

The Cash for Clunkers program is stupid for a lot of reasons. Not only is it just another tax-payer bailout of the unions automakers, who can sell more cars at artificially depressed prices so they can keep the doors open. It also screws with the free-market (big surprise there) by pulling forward demand that isn't there now, only to kill demand over the next 1-2 years. Killing off the clunkers also hurts the used car market, the spare parts market, and the auto repair business. If there aren't any old cars to buy or fix, those guys are all out...

If they make it so difficult to cash in your clunker, guess how difficult it will be if your ticker gives out?Gosh! It sounded like such a good idea for the government to help the ailing auto industry and the environment by getting old gas guzzling cars off the road. Yet, like every government program, there's a downside: First, the Environmental Protection Agency magically recalculated the miles per gallon it estimates many older cars get. Suddenly people whose cars met the previous standard no longer do. EPA's move has caused confusion and headaches: From CNN: In some cases, car buyers...

The White House and Congress may be giving the “cash for clunkers” program a reprieve, but one can’t help wondering how many dealers and customers will have the confidence to go forward at this point. Things sound like a total mess in the showrooms. “There is absolute frustration across the board,” Alex Kurkin, a lawyer based in Miami who represents several car dealerships, tells The Lede today. “As of this morning, they’re not really confident about any deals, and no one can give them advice about what they should be telling their customers.” One thing still not clear is how...

On paper, it sounds great. $4,500 for a more fuel-efficient vehicle. Everyone loves more miles to the gallon. But there’s the law of unintended consequences and the cash for clunkers program is no exception. The estimated cost of the Senate bill is between $3 -4 billion, money that will come from the stimulus bill. But if a similar program in Germany provides any forecast, it will cost more. In Germany’s case the program has become three times more expensive than what they initially budgeted. And intended to stimulate the economy, the program instead simply shifted spending. Of all the energy...

After investing billions of taxpayer dollars in two domestic automakers to help them survive the dramatic downturn in car sales along with an enduring recession, Congress and the Obama administration want to help jumpstart the industry. The battery cables of choice for this operation — [1] HR2751 Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS), also dubbed “Cash for Clunkers” — is roughly patterned after a similar automotive stimulus scheme in Europe. If it worked on the Continent, it must be a good thing, as the current beltway logic asserts. The idea of encouraging people to retire their old relics of...

I am in the process of purchasing a certified pre-owned vehicle. I usually buy new, but figured this time I would try Certified Pre-Owned primarily for price reasons. I get to get the vehicle I want with the equipment I want and pay a whole lot less. The vehicle is a 2005 with 17,000 miles. Looks great inside and out (just came in and had not gone through the detail shop yet). It has a minor ding that the dealer will take care of on the one wheelwell. I deceided to get a Carfax Report and it showed that the...

The Day after Tomorrow. One word: Save your money. Go out for a cheese steak and beer instead. I saw the movie with my son at a sneak preview tonight. We were given a free ticket so, what the heck. The flick is a disaster movie with a global warming prelude and epilogue enough to leave a bad taste in your mouth if you know anything at all about the liberal agenda related to global warming.. One of the main characters is Dennis Quaid (sp?), a climatologist whose career got in the way of his family life straining his relationship...