Why I Don't Own a Flat Screen TV

Wow, it has been forever since I posted on this blog, but a friend of mine from high school likes posting things on Facebook that I really can't resist commenting on.  This is especially true when it's about politics and economics at the same time.  I'm a sucker for it, but luckily, he's not offended by my assertions I'm right, and is capable of making a logical assertion that I'm wrong.  It stimulates thought instead of provoking ill will, at least in my mind (he may want to kill me, but we both agree on matters of gun control..........I think).  Anway, here is something that I posted, that I thought might have more value than just a comment on Facebook.

Most people wouldn't justify not buying a flat screen because it costs them 3700 in 30 years to spend 1000 today, but it's how the wealthy think. Most people just think about that TV. I use it justify buying cattle though.  The Millionaire Next Door would blow a lot of people's minds about what "wealthy" really means in monetary terms. It's fairly cheap on Amazon. Rich Dad Poor Dad is another one.  I am not flawless in my quest to save money.  Clark Howard makes me look like a wasteful spender, but he's the master of not spending money. Either way, it is better to save for tomorrow than today.  Here is my logic behind it.  

Wikipedia - Time Value Of Money

I wish this was there when I was in college (believe me, I searched). This is a pretty comprehensive view of the variations on the TVM function, but I mostly posted it for mathematical proofs if you don't believe me.  It's probably easier to read my numbers since I did the math assuming a 4.5% interest per year.

"Time Value of Money" basically means that if you invest 100 today, you expect to see 100 + # in a set period of time. Basically if you want to have a million dollars in 30 years (retire at 55?), assuming a 4.5% rate of return annually, the function would read PV = 1,000,000/(1+.045)^30. PV = $267,000.02 in a lump sum. Of course, then we throw continual payments into the mix. This is also how loans are calculated (but if you want more detail, send me a message). It'll take $16391.54/year to have $1 million in 30 years. It'll pay 45K per year without losing value, but if you figure you'll only make it to 70, it'll pay you $93,113.81/year for 15 years. 

Now, that seems nearly impossible, but the good news is, that you don't have to put away $16,000 this year. Most of us at my age (25 years old) are going to work until we're about 60-65. That gives us only $9343.15 per year in payments. If you make a monthly payment instead, the payment actually drops to roughly $750 per month.  That new shiny car could cost you a million dollars. At 30% of income, that would mean you only make $30,000 per year. With the current tax rate, you'd have to have pre-tax income of roughly $40,500.  Still, where there is a will, there is a way and these are just rough numbers so don't fret if you're not making this much money per year.  There are also plans that are based on increasing payments and all other types of formats, but they're harder to calculate.   

A calculator is found here in an easy to use format.

PV = How much money you have today. I like to use 0.

Rate = Interest Rate or how much you expect to gain. 3.5-4.5 per year is a fairly safe investment strategy. You won't get rich quick.  Of course, nothing is 100% and investing does have risks of loss.  Diversification will help that and consulting a professional is always recommended.  Some would argue that 4.5% is bold right now, but I think it can still be done.

PMT = Payments. 0 will calculate lump sum investments and their gains

FV = How much money you get paid at the end.

Periods = Years, months, or whichever denomination you choose from the drop down box.

There are infinite ways to increase personal wealth. The path to increasing the wealth of nations lies within the path of increasing individual wealth. That is best done individually, but we all benefit from economic growth.

The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing.

As a small farmer, it is often misconstrued that the large farms are trying to destroy me and run me out of business.  While there may be a slight truth to the idea, it's by and large a false statement.  As I have said before, I come from a family of agriculture.  My parents have been falsely stated to be "the enemy" while simultaneously helping me.  Agriculture, however has many enemies.  The largest enemy of animal agriculture is Animal Rights disguised as "Animal Welfare."  I am a big fan of welfare when speaking of my cattle.  I will actually probably be going out in the cold, foggy, rainy night to put hay out (not because they NEED it) but because it will quell my mind's pacing about "what if."  I am not, however a fan of outright disinformation in an attempt to misconstrue the truth in a negative manner against agriculture.  One example that I posted on some animal rights Facebook pages has NEVER been answered.  My example is "swine flu" or it's proper term A(H1N1)pdm09.

We'll start with The "Humane Society" of the United States.  This is a humane society in name only.  It's really a political lobbying group that is money and power hungry.  They will lie in an attempt to further their legislative and monetary goals.

Is it still even called "swine" flu?

To protect pork exports and deter countries from indiscriminately killing pigs, many have dropped use of the term "swine." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided instead to call it "swine-origin" influenza now, which is accurate, but people have been raising pigs and chickens in their back yards for thousands of years before the triple hybrid mutant ancestor of this virus was first detected on U.S. factory farms. "Factory farm flu" might therefore be more accurate.

The source of this disinformation

To simplify the statement, since people freaked out over pork, the word swine was made into "swine-origin" however HSUS believes that it should be called "Factory farm flu" instead.  Farm Sanctuary, PeTA, and others also make a similar stance on their pages.  The lies have big "donate" or "take action" buttons on the page.  Here's why you should take another action that I'll mention at the bottom of the page.

The problem, however, lies in the data.  First to be noted, Type A H1N1 influenza is separately common in humans and swine, however not in a quadruple reassortant virus form as the pandemic influenza was/is (the first flaw of the above quote).  Tragic as it was, I will use honest sources that really have no connection to agriculture or animal rights.

I do not discount the death of anybody and no human death is a statistic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show the statistical impact of H1N1 influenza.  Approximately 61 million people were afflicted by this virus in everything from minor to major ways.

Here's an interesting statistic to follow that one.  According to the quote from HSUS, The CDC changed the name from "swine flu" to "swine-origin influenza."  If that's the case, the statistics posted above would match the following statistics of those who have been diagnosed with Swine-origin Influenza.  They do not match nor are they remotely close.

"As of December 31, 2011, 35 cases of human infection with variant influenza viruses [from swine] have been reported in the United States since 2005. Of these 35 cases, 13 have been trH1N1v viruses, 20 have been trH3N2v viruses and two have been trH1N2v viruses."

"Where did swine flu come from?

The genetic fingerprint of the virus was just published, and the main ancestor of this deadly virus is a triple hybrid mutant first found on factory farms in the United States in 1998. The H1N1 swine flu virus has been described as "the product of intensive farming.""

To make this more complicated, the actual terminology of the variants is completely different.  I used it earlier, but it can be found here.  As you can see, there is no swine-origin to the influenza HSUS mentions.  So why, exactly is it called "swine flu" if it didn't come from swine?  The CDC offers a response to this question.

"This virus was originally referred to as “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in the virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs (swine) in North America. But further study has shown that the 2009 H1N1 is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and bird (avian) genes and human genes. Scientists call this a "quadruple reassortant" virus."

The statement made by HSUS is that the disease came directly from agriculture, however the data, facts, and information all state otherwise.  It never ceases to amaze me that HSUS can outright lie to the general populace of Americans under the guise that they are saving shelter pets (though you should read through their taxes for an interesting find) while simultaneously lying about agriculture and lobbying against it and threatening ballot initiatives in which they would spread propaganda in urban areas to push their will against the minority  of the population, in this case, farmers.  This is all done under the tax-free protection of a 501(c)3 structure.

I personally recommend stopping this by using the following link (will redirect you in this window) to petition the IRS to re-examine the true purpose of HSUS.

The Petition At Whitehouse.Gov