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Entry bubble Cash for Your Used Car

By: Joanne | June 30, 2009 | Category: Money

Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) logoLast week President Obama signed the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009 into law. The new Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program offers cash to people who own old, fuel inefficient cars to help them buy new, fuel efficient cars.

Sounds interesting? You bet. Who doesn’t want to spend less money on gas, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our dependency on oil and increase energy sustainability AND get a shiny new car in the deal?

How does it work? Now that it’s a law, program details are available. Here are some quick facts – visit cars.gov for more details.

 

  • The amount of the credit is $3,500 or $4,500 depending on what you trade in and what you buy
  • Your car must be less than 25 years old
  • You must buy or lease a new car
  • Generally, your trade-in must get 18 or less miles per gallon (some very large pick-up trucks and cargo vans have different requirements)
  • Your trade-in must be registered and insured continuously for the full year before the trade-in
  • You don't need a voucher, dealers will apply a credit at purchase
  • Program runs through Nov 1, 2009 or when the funds are exhausted, whichever comes first.
  • The vehicle that you are trading in is required to be destroyed. Therefore, the value you negotiate with the dealer for your trade in is not likely to exceed its scrap value. The law requires the dealer to disclose to you an estimate of the scrap value of your trade-in vehicle.

 

Watch out, I’ve already heard reports that fraudulent websites have popped up, pretending to offer information about the CARS program but they’re really phishing for your personal information. Stick with the official CARS website for official program information.

p.s. Don't forget to submit your Independence Day photos on the USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov Flickr Group

| View Comments [16] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: car   cars   cash   clunkers   efficient   fuel   joanne   new   trade   used  

 

Entry bubble Your Turn: Reduce and Reuse to Save Money

By: Editor | June 29, 2009 | Category: Money

Water Bottle Picture Our Monday blogger, Jake, has work duties that will take him away from Gov Gab until September. In his absence, we’re alternating between “Your Turn” weeks, where we’ll ask a question to spotlight your knowledge about government resources, and posts from guest bloggers across the government.

Today's Question:  With tight budgets and tough economic times, what little changes have you made to save money?  My family is refilling bike water bottles instead of buying bottled water.  It saves money and the environment. 

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: editor   environment   money   reduce   reuse  

 

Entry bubble "Socializing" with Hispanics

By: Leilani | June 26, 2009 | Category: Spanish

I'm writing this post from "La Isla del encanto" Puerto Rico.  The reason I'm here is that I'm attending the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference (NAHJ) to promote GobiernoUSA.gov, the site I co-manage, and all other Spanish-language services that my organization offers.

Hispanics account for 15% of the population and 34 million people in the United States report speaking Spanish at home. So the need to provide government information in Spanish is real. Some people have asked me on my earlier posts why government is spending money translating information into other languages. There's not only the demand for this kind of information, but there's also an Executive Order  that requires federal agencies to provide critical information in other languages.

It has become more evident to me, especially these last few days, that Hispanics are not only getting connected online at a fast pace, but they are also actively participating on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It has been great to interact with CNN en español and the Washington Post, but I have to admit that one of the highlights of this trip was when six journalism students stopped by the GobiernoUSA.gov booth. After a brief tour of the site, I could tell they weren't completely sold. So that's when I showed them the GobiernoUSA.gov's Facebook page and their eyes quickly lit up. They were not only impressed, but they also thought we had the "coolest" information for them. Woo hoo!

So yes, we're on Facebook and Twitter but that doesn't mean that we will stop reaching out to the public through more traditional means. If those six students start now finding government information because they're already on Facebook and that's where they "hang out", then we will be accomplishing our mission of making government easy and accesible for people.

Why not try it for yourself? Go to our Facebook pages and become a fan:

You can also follow us on Twitter:

Let us know what you think and how we can make these pages better.

Lea la versión en español

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: facebook   government   hispanics   leilani   nahj   spanish   twitter  

 

Entry bubble El Gobierno a tu alcance

By: Leilani | June 26, 2009 | Category: Spanish

Estoy escribiendo esta nota desde "La Isla del encanto" Puerto Rico. La razón por la cual estoy acá es porque Conectarestoy participando en la conferencia de la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ por su sigla en inglés) para promover el sitio GobiernoUSA.gov, del cual soy co-gerente, y los servicios que mi organización ofrece en español. 

Los hispanos representan el 15% de la población de los EE. UU. y 34 millones de personas reportan hablar español en el hogar. Así que la necesidad de ofrecer información oficial en español es real.  Algunas personas me han preguntado en ocasiones anteriores a través de este blog por qué el Gobierno gasta dinero en traducir información en otros idiomas. Además de existir la demanda por esta información, hay una Orden Ejecutiva que requiere que las agencias federales ofrezcan información crítica en otros idiomas. 

Es cada vez más evidente, sobre todo durante estos días que he estado en esta conferencia, que los hispanos no solo se están conectando al Internet a gran velocidad sino también están participando activamente en sitios tales como Facebook y Twitter.  Ha sido buenísimo interactuar con CNN en español y el Washington Post pero tengo que admitir que uno de los mejores momentos para mí en esta conferencia sucedió ayer cuando seis estudiantes de periodismo pasaron por el puesto de GobiernoUSA.gov.  Después de darles un breve tour del sitio, me pude dar cuenta que no estaban completamente convencidos.  Decidí entonces enseñarles la página de GobiernoUSA.gov en Facebook. Por unos minutos los cautivé.  Estaban impresionados y me comentaron que teníamos la información más “cool” para ellos.  Woo hoo!

Sí, estamos en Facebook y Twitter pero eso no significa que dejaremos de comunicarnos con el público por medios más tradicionales. Nuestra presencia en Facebook y Twitter simplemente complementa el trabajo que llevamos haciendo ya varios años.  Si esos seis estudiantes empiezan a encontrar información del Gobierno en Facebook porque ya están ahí, estaremos cumpliendo con nuestra misión de facilitarle al público el acceso a información del Gobierno.

Te invito a que vayas a nuestras páginas en Facebook, las de GobiernoUSA.gov y USA.gov, y te hagas fan. También puedes seguirnos en Twitter: twitter.com/gobiernousa y twitter.com/usagov.  Déjanos saber qué piensas y cómo podemos mejorar estas páginas.

Read English Version

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: espanol   facebook   gobierno   leilani   nahj   twitter  

 

Entry bubble United We Serve

By: Jess | June 25, 2009 | Category: General

Earlier this week, President Obama announced United We Serve, a summer campaign encouraging citizens across the country to reach out and volunteer in their communities. The campaign runs from now until September 11 with the idea that it takes more than government officials to help solve the problems the country is facing.

In his video message, the President says the country needs volunteers in schools as mentors and tutors, in hospitals to help keep people healthy, and in many other places that officials in Washington D.C. can't be.

There are plenty of opportunities for you to give some of your time if you're interested.  

Serve.gov is the new Web site that was launched as part of this effort. You can find information on all kinds of service projects in your community. And if you're working on a project and looking for volunteers, you can register it and promote it on the site to help attract volunteers.

Even if you can only give one hour each week, someone else's life will be touched. Feel free to share in the comments any volunteer projects you will be working on this summer.

And don't forget to submit your Independence Day photos on the USA.gov / GobiernoUSA.gov Flickr Group.

 

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: community_service   jess   united_we_serve   volunteer  

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