2 Broadcaster Press November 26, 2019 www.broadcasteronline.com A Motivational Don’t Use Emotion To Rationalize An Upgrade Class Dave Says Dave RAMSEY Dear Dave, My husband will be finishing physician assistant school in December, just a few days before our first baby is due. We’ve got about $70,000 in student loan debt, and we’re trying to get everything paid off. Both our cell phones are pretty old, and I’d like to get a new one that costs $350 so we can have really good pictures of the baby. My job is the only income we have right now, and I’m making $45,000 before taxes. Is this a silly thing to do in our situation? Jamie Dear Jamie, This is an important question. It’s not important because $350 is a big deal in the grand scheme of things, it’s important because you’re making a judgment call as to what you’re focusing on and what you value. If you’re focusing on your husband finishing school, so his income goes up and you’re trying to get out of debt, that fine. I love it when people are willing to work their tails off to have better lives. But if that’s your focus, and at the same time you’re trying to rationalize buying something you don’t really need, that’s a bad thing. You don’t need a new cell phone for a camera, especially if the camera is the only reason you’re buying it. You can find decent digital cameras everywhere these days for $50 or less. I understand the joy that goes along with having a child. I have three kids, and we were absolutely ecstatic each and every time one was born. And, of course, we wanted good photos of them all. But right now, I think you’re trying to rationalize a phone upgrade based on the emotion of a new baby. As an exercise of your value system, that’s a tendency you need to break. This is a test, Jamie. What you’re talking about here is a luxury, not a necessity. Rationalization is one of the prime causes of overspending. Please understand, I’m not picking on you and I don’t mean to be harsh. We’ve all flunked this test at times. But this is an important moment where your judgment and values are concerned. It’s your call, but you really don’t need to blow $350 on a new phone right now. —Dave * Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business, and CEO of Ramsey Solutions. He has authored seven best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 12 million listeners each week on 575 radio stations and multiple digital platforms. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com. President Trump Approves Disaster Declaration For Southeast South Dakota PIERRE, S.D. – Governor Kristi Noem today announced that President Donald Trump has approved a presidential disaster declaration for September storm damage done in South Dakota, including the three tornadoes that struck Sioux Falls and the extreme flooding in communities such as Madison and Mitchell. “This is good news for South Dakota communities, and I’m grateful to President Trump for responding so quickly,” said Noem. “Every aspect of our South Dakota way of life has been impacted by this year’s devastating storms. We have a long way to go, but this will be helpful as we rebuild and recover.” The declaration, which includes both individual and public assistance, covers the period of Sept. 9-Sept. 26. Preliminary assessments total at least $17 million in requested federal assistance. Total individual assistance damage is estimated at more than $8 million. Counties included in the request for individual assistance are Brookings, Charles Mix, Davison, Hanson, Hutchinson, Lake, Lincoln, McCook, Minnehaha, Moody, and Yankton, and the Flandreau Santee Indian Reservation and Yankton Indian Reservation. FEMA’s Individual Assistance program provides grants to individuals and families for expenses related to home repairs and rental assistance. Total public assistance damages are estimated at more than $8.8 million. Counties included in the request for public assistance are Aurora, Brookings, Brule, Charles Mix, Davison, Douglas, Gregory, Hanson, Hutchinson, Kingsbury, Lake, McCook, Miner, Minnehaha, Moody, Sanborn, Turner, Union, and Yankton, as well as the Yankton Indian Reservation and Flandreau Santee Indian Reservation. FEMA’s Public Assistance program reimburses eligible state and local governments, and some non-profit entities, for damage to publicly owned infrastructure. “Families, business owners, farmers and ranchers have all been affected by these severe storms, tornadoes, and floods that damaged homes and public infrastructure,” said Noem. “Recovery efforts will take years to complete, but these dollars will be incredibly helpful in that process.” South Dakota has now received four disaster declarations this year. The state received a federal disaster declaration in June for severe winter storms and flooding that occurred March 13-April 26 and that affected 58 counties and three reservations. A second disaster declaration for the period of May 26-June 7 was approved in September for flooding and storms that occurred in 25 counties and two reservations. The third declaration was for damage done by severe storms and flooding that occurred June 30-July 21 in six counties and two reservations. FEMA officials are now in South Dakota working on the first three federal disaster declarations and will continue to work on the fourth. More details on the process for the fourth disaster declaration will be announced at a later date. Noem has designated the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Emergency Management as the lead state government agency for the disaster recovery. By Daris Howard When I started college, I was a computer science major. Back then, computers were much different from what they are today. There were no computer screens as we have today. We worked on punch cards, and the punch card machines looked like big typewriters. We submitted our programs to the system administrators. They would run them through, and our output would come back on printed pages. This all took a lot of time. Another challenge was that there were only two punchcard machines on campus that were available to students. We spent a lot of time standing in lines. It was in these lines that I did most of my homework in the first few years of my college career. If a person was slow at typing, the line backed up a lot. Unfortunately, few people took typing in those days unless they were in office management degrees. But being in computer science, I decided that it was a skill I needed to master. The idea scared me. I had attempted to learn piano at my mother’s insistence, but I never became good at it. I was impatient, and getting my fingers and my brain to work together seemed like a Herculean task. I soon gave up. I thought that typing would be the same way, and I feared that I would fail. But I knew that if I were to become a programmer, I needed to type faster. I signed up for the class and diligently did the assignments. When the first test came back, I was disappointed in my grade. I could tell by the groans around the room that I was not the only one. After the teacher had finished passing out the tests, she turned to us. “You all did very poorly on this test. What is your motivation for taking this course?” I raised my hand, and when the teacher called on me, I mentioned that I was a computer science major and needed to learn to type. “No,” the teacher said. “Deeper than that. Why are you here at this university, and why are you taking any course on this campus?” We had an in-depth discussion about the reasons, and when we boiled it all down to its core, we came to the conclusion that the reason we took any class was because of money. The whole purpose of getting an education was to be able to get a better job and thus make a better living. “I don’t want you to think of this course as typing anymore,” the teacher said. “I want you to think of it for the real purpose for which you are here, and that is to make more money.” Then she did something I will never forget. “Every one of you hold your typing book to your chest,” she said. Once we had done that, she said, “Now pat your books and repeat after me. Money! Money! Money!” We followed her direction, and we all felt a little silly. Most of the class laughed. But each day after that we started the class in the same way. We held our books to our chests, and, patting them, said, “Money! Money! Money!” The motivation must have worked. I not only typed my papers, but I started typing papers for friends, my soonto-be wife, and others. By the end of the semester, I obtained a speed of 145 words per minute, with around 98% accuracy. My fellow students also did much better, and the teacher was pleased with the results. But for me, the greatest takeaway from the class was a deep sense of accomplishment. Now, as my math students struggle with their assignments, I am tempted to have them hold their books to their chests, pat them, and say, “Money! Money! Money!” Nah. They’d probably think it was weird. GFP Commission Proposes Use Of Sold! 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