Apparently it Passed - Cash for Clunkers law (ZOMG SOCIALISM!)
Car Allowable Rebate System
President Obama signs cash for clunkers bill
Obama Signs Cash-for-Clunkers Bill
You may remember back to this post: Call to action: Cash for Clunkers Bill
Wherein I talked about a stimulus plan that gave you a voucher to buy a more fuel efficient car, thus reducing dependence on foreign oil, increasing national security and giving the auto industry a little tickle so that all those nice people out there who are two steps from the soup line can find a job.
[GovTrack][THOMAS][Congress.org][OpenCongress.org][VoteSmart.org] - House Version
[GovTrack][THOMAS][Congress.org][OpenCongress.org] - Senate Version
TITLE XIII - Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program
[Cars.gov(PDF)][Congress.org]
It had been sitting in Senate committee for a bit, but I got a call from (of all people) MY MOTHER this weekend to ask me if I'd heard about the bill.
I figured the worst, that somehow the flouncing Democrats had yet again let the Republicans shove them around and killed the bill.
But apparently, perhaps for the first time in a while, our Legislative branch got something resembling a conscience, put down their diamond studded champaign glasses (Gift from AIG along with 10,000 bottles of Moet) looked around at the country in flames all around us and said "You know... maybe we should cut these paupers a break?"
The above site contains a faq that will answer most of your questions if you have any. The only thing I don't get, is when and where the bill passed. GovTrack hasn't been updated (and appears to be down currently) and THOMAS doesn't mention the bill's passage. None of the other tracker sites I frequent have any more recent information than last month, which is to say freaking pathetic. Even THOMAS doesn't have the most up to date information because if Obama signed it, then it had to go through the Senate therefore there should be a vote on record. Apparently my Google-fu is not strong enough to find it.
I will be going over the FAQ with a fine tooth comb in the mean time. The bill goes into effect later in the month.
However it would appear that my family is not eligable for the program (DAMNIT!) because if you go to the FAQ
and scroll down to "How do I know if my car or truck is an eligible trade-in vehicle' it says "Fuck you Ed!" right underneath the bulle point where it says : must also have been manufactured not later than model year 2001
Now, my gas guzzling POS is a 2002. It's possible that since it says "manufactured" I might still be eligable and I hope so. I mean if it was a 2002 truck it would likely be manufactured in 2001 right? Guess I'll have to find out. But I'm guessing that I don't qualify, which sucks donkey balls.
EDIT: Confirmed, the little sticker in the door says that the truck was manufactured in 02/02. DAMNIT! Oh well, at least some Americans will benefit from this even if I can't.
EDIT AGAIN: Actually from further reading, the 2001 thing is only for category 3 vehicles, which are apparently very large work trucks rating between 8500 and 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. Basically large pickups and cargo vans. So I might well be eligible for it after all.
However, if YOU are eligable, I suggest you get your butt over to that site and start combing through. Don't flip out and go buy the first 'cool' thing you can find either. Make sure you can afford it. New cars still come with costs you have to pay. So keep that in mind.
But that's socialism! Yeah so is having a police force paid for by the government. So is that fire department that just stopped your house from burning to the ground. So is having food inspectors give you reasonable insurance that you're not going to drop dead because you ate a burger. So is having someone create standards for that hypodermic you have used in the hospital so it doesn't break off in your arm. So is making sure that every house in America has access to electric power (power companies didn't do it - Uncle Sam did). So is that road you drove to work on - you didn't pay for 100 miles of road. In fact your taxes probably paid for less than 10 miles of roads unless you're like 150. So is the internet that you are currently reading this post from - it was a military project originally paid for by tax dollars.
You know what? Call me a Socialist. I don't give a fuck anymore. I've been voting and paying taxes since I was 16 and I'd say it's about time Uncle Sam started doing some shit for me in return besides giving all of my money to douchebag corporations and even douchbaggier religious whackos. I'm pleased to see that with the right douchebag* at the helm we're at least making progress out of this crater we've dug and we're doing it in such a way that doesn't involved another hefty tax cut for the rich fucktards that got us into this mess in the first place. If being thrilled that my government has for once taken the mega-corporate cock out of it's mouth to do what it needs to to preserve Our way of life before our corporate masters head off to pluder Dubai means I'm a socialist, then I'm a happy little socialist. Don't ask me to feel sorry for Exxon or their share holders( or any other corporation for that matter). Their world record breaking profits for the last few years were built on our backs with our resources they were built on the blood that has been shed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Does that sound like I give a damn if Exxon mobile's board of directors can't afford their solid gold diamond plated digital escargot forks again this year? Fuck them.
* Wait till you see my report about Obama's legal claims about imprisoning people until you start complaining
President Obama signs cash for clunkers bill
Obama Signs Cash-for-Clunkers Bill
You may remember back to this post: Call to action: Cash for Clunkers Bill
Wherein I talked about a stimulus plan that gave you a voucher to buy a more fuel efficient car, thus reducing dependence on foreign oil, increasing national security and giving the auto industry a little tickle so that all those nice people out there who are two steps from the soup line can find a job.
[GovTrack][THOMAS][Congress.org][OpenCongress.org][VoteSmart.org] - House Version
[GovTrack][THOMAS][Congress.org][OpenCongress.org] - Senate Version
TITLE XIII - Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Program
[Cars.gov(PDF)][Congress.org]
It had been sitting in Senate committee for a bit, but I got a call from (of all people) MY MOTHER this weekend to ask me if I'd heard about the bill.
I figured the worst, that somehow the flouncing Democrats had yet again let the Republicans shove them around and killed the bill.
But apparently, perhaps for the first time in a while, our Legislative branch got something resembling a conscience, put down their diamond studded champaign glasses (Gift from AIG along with 10,000 bottles of Moet) looked around at the country in flames all around us and said "You know... maybe we should cut these paupers a break?"
The above site contains a faq that will answer most of your questions if you have any. The only thing I don't get, is when and where the bill passed. GovTrack hasn't been updated (and appears to be down currently) and THOMAS doesn't mention the bill's passage. None of the other tracker sites I frequent have any more recent information than last month, which is to say freaking pathetic. Even THOMAS doesn't have the most up to date information because if Obama signed it, then it had to go through the Senate therefore there should be a vote on record. Apparently my Google-fu is not strong enough to find it.
I will be going over the FAQ with a fine tooth comb in the mean time. The bill goes into effect later in the month.
However it would appear that my family is not eligable for the program (DAMNIT!) because if you go to the FAQ
and scroll down to "How do I know if my car or truck is an eligible trade-in vehicle' it says "Fuck you Ed!" right underneath the bulle point where it says : must also have been manufactured not later than model year 2001
Now, my gas guzzling POS is a 2002. It's possible that since it says "manufactured" I might still be eligable and I hope so. I mean if it was a 2002 truck it would likely be manufactured in 2001 right? Guess I'll have to find out. But I'm guessing that I don't qualify, which sucks donkey balls.
EDIT: Confirmed, the little sticker in the door says that the truck was manufactured in 02/02. DAMNIT! Oh well, at least some Americans will benefit from this even if I can't.
EDIT AGAIN: Actually from further reading, the 2001 thing is only for category 3 vehicles, which are apparently very large work trucks rating between 8500 and 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. Basically large pickups and cargo vans. So I might well be eligible for it after all.
However, if YOU are eligable, I suggest you get your butt over to that site and start combing through. Don't flip out and go buy the first 'cool' thing you can find either. Make sure you can afford it. New cars still come with costs you have to pay. So keep that in mind.
But that's socialism! Yeah so is having a police force paid for by the government. So is that fire department that just stopped your house from burning to the ground. So is having food inspectors give you reasonable insurance that you're not going to drop dead because you ate a burger. So is having someone create standards for that hypodermic you have used in the hospital so it doesn't break off in your arm. So is making sure that every house in America has access to electric power (power companies didn't do it - Uncle Sam did). So is that road you drove to work on - you didn't pay for 100 miles of road. In fact your taxes probably paid for less than 10 miles of roads unless you're like 150. So is the internet that you are currently reading this post from - it was a military project originally paid for by tax dollars.
You know what? Call me a Socialist. I don't give a fuck anymore. I've been voting and paying taxes since I was 16 and I'd say it's about time Uncle Sam started doing some shit for me in return besides giving all of my money to douchebag corporations and even douchbaggier religious whackos. I'm pleased to see that with the right douchebag* at the helm we're at least making progress out of this crater we've dug and we're doing it in such a way that doesn't involved another hefty tax cut for the rich fucktards that got us into this mess in the first place. If being thrilled that my government has for once taken the mega-corporate cock out of it's mouth to do what it needs to to preserve Our way of life before our corporate masters head off to pluder Dubai means I'm a socialist, then I'm a happy little socialist. Don't ask me to feel sorry for Exxon or their share holders( or any other corporation for that matter). Their world record breaking profits for the last few years were built on our backs with our resources they were built on the blood that has been shed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Does that sound like I give a damn if Exxon mobile's board of directors can't afford their solid gold diamond plated digital escargot forks again this year? Fuck them.
* Wait till you see my report about Obama's legal claims about imprisoning people until you start complaining