Would you like to buy a low-mileage Porsche for less
          than $14,000?  A Lincoln Continental for under $1,000? 
          How about a VCR or a fax machine for $20?  Such fantastic
          deals are available to savvy shoppers who know where the
          best sales really take place at government auctions.
               Government, you probably know, dwarfs every other
          industry in the United States.  The federal government
          alone has an operating budget of well over $1 trillion
          per year.  (One trillion, hard as it is to comprehend, is
          a 1,000 times 1 billion; 1 billion is a thousand times 1
          million.)  Each state and local government handles even
          more millions.  One city -- New York -- has an annual
          budget of approximately $30 billion, more than the total
          output of most nations.
               With all that money floating around, opportunities
          are bound to arise.  Governments buy things by mistake,
          for example, so they have to dispose of them.  Not-so-old
          supplies and equipment have to be sold to make room for
          newer, more expensive models.  (Heaven help the
          bureaucrat who doesn't spend his or her annual budget
          allotment.)  As crime increases, so does the inventory of
          seized property; the same for assets seized in lieu of
          back taxes or unpaid debts.
               As governments at all levels amass unwanted goods,
          there's a constant need to get rid of them.  Moreover,
          bureaucrats aren't merchants with a constant eye on the
          bottom line.  Often there's no incentive to get top
          dollar when unloading excess property.  Instead,
          government employees merely want to get the stuff out of
          the way as soon as possible, as easily as possible.
               The merchandise is sold through government auctions. 
          If you're patient and diligent, you can find
          extraordinary values in these auctions.  There are two
          ways to cash in on such opportunities:
               *  You can buy an incredible assortment of goods at
          bargain prices.  If you want, you can use those goods
          yourself.
               *  You can resell the goods you buy at auction,
          reaping huge profits and creating a successful business
          for your spare time.