Engagement Conspiracy?

The more and more I think about engagement and marriage the more and more I think men are getting the raw end of the deal. Why is it that men have to spend thousands of dollars on a ring to propose with? In a way, this is like purchasing a wife. It sounds bad, but you can't really propose without a ring. So until you save up money to buy the ring....you have no wife. Do you see what I am saying?
In today's society where women and men are suppose to be equal in all things....why not the engagement? Here is my idea. LET THIS BE WRITTEN: From now on, if a woman wants to marry a man, they have to present them with a plasma T.V. It seems like a fair trade. A plasma costs about the same as a ring, sometimes cheaper. This way both the bride and the groom enter into the marriage equally. What do you think?