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The American lifestyle is one of freedom and choice, however, this freedom, which has been widely exercised in the buying of any automobile a person chooses, has cost us our livelihoods. That is why the Cash for Clunkers program was initiated. Many people who love foreign-made cars failed to see that by supporting other countrys' products and not purchasing our own American-made vehicles, we have put ourselves out of work. The domino effect is now being felt everywhere because jobs in the private and public sector have been erradicated and every business is downsizing.

The Cash for Clunkers program, which allows a rebate of $4,500 in my area, is an incentive to bring in your old car in order to purchase an American-made car. This big incentive allows anyone who has fairly good credit to enjoy a new American-made car with modest payments. Most dealers and financial institutions are looking at the customer's ability to pay and past credit, but they are quite flexible if they see the customer is reliable. This two-way flexibility allows the customer to take advantage of this grand opportunity of purchasing a new car and the dealer comes away with a sale, and hopefully satisified customer.

In the past we have had to come up with a substantial down payment on a new automobile. The Cash for Clunkers program helps us to bypass this painful experience and right away we can ride away in a new car without the hassle. Because the horrific recession has shown us ourselves, we are now much more prone to deal "in house" and invest in American-made products. As the economy rebounds, hopefully more and more Americans will begin to value products produced here. Actually, when we have an American-made car in our garage, we are letting others in America know that we value their jobs.

Under President Barack Obama, who worked hard to lift the auto industry out of the dust, everything possible has been done to resurrect the American icons that helped to make us one of the greatest nations in the world. Yes, some people wanted to see the Big Three fail, but this mean spirit is one of self-destruction. Not only did President Obama and his financial advisors help the three leading manufacturers of automobiles with massive financial bailouts, but they also put in the punch line by adding the Cash for Clunkers bill as a means to move Americans off their couches of "maybe I will..." to "I will buy...". We have no one to fault but ourselves if our economy sinks to the bottom. Other countries like our products, often more than we do. They see our value, and we in times past were groping for their models. Personally, I love American-made cars. They are not perfect, but no man-made product can boast that claim, not even foreign ones. Most of the cars I have driven have been made here in America, and I personally did not like the ones from other countries. American-produced cars seem to have a smoother ride. The foreign cars, that I have ridden in gave me the feeling of riding in a stiff, hard riding car. I somehow felt that I was in a box. I could almost feel the bumps in the road in those cars. Yes, I am a true supporter of American-produced vehicles, and I am surely a supporter of Cash for Clunkers. If it wasn't for the fact that I just finished paying off my American-made car, I'd join the parade to the American dealerships. In time, however, if the offer is still available, I would like to take an American dealership up on the offer. The value is there, and of course, the pride too.

Learn more about this author, Toni Doswell.
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