West Virginia's plan to save money: Buy used cars

Like many states in the U.S., West Virginia is facing a budget shortfall; while this is nowhere near the magnitude of Governor Schwarzenegger's "IOU State," the mountainous corner of "almost heaven" will need some creative thinking. After all, squeezing out an additional $184 million in a state of only 1.8 million residents calls for serious accounting magic.

They may have found a first step. According to the West Virginia Gazette, the state has OK'd a contract with Chrysler Financial Services to provide 115 used, previously-leased Chryslers, Jeeps and Dodges to add to its fleet, thereby saving it $800,000 over the price of buying them new.