About 5 years ago I had a part-time job working as a tutor with a young autistic boy. I was sort of half a security guard and half an instructor b/c he was violent. You really couldn't take your eyes off him because he would punch, kick and bite fellow students if he got the chance. The result was that I went with him everywhere while he was at school; including the cafeteria. I would hold his hand while we stood in line with all the other children attending this working class public elementary school (filled largely with the offspring of recent immigrants) in the San Fernando Valley. I was struck by the fact that my kid was the only (and I mean ONLY) child who was paying full price ($1.25) for the school lunch. All the other students were holding district issued cards that allowed them to receive food for free or half price. Resultingly, I went to the office after about a week and asked for an application for my student's family to fill out. One of the secretaries handed it to me along with a sheet indicating the household income necessary to qualify. I can't remember what it was but I was astounded how low it was. My kid's family (Mom was a part-time accountant for Brink's Armored Trucks and Dad was one of those guys who worked in a one hour photo place) would not even be close to being this impoverished.
Now none of this would have struck me as odd had it not been for my experiences each weekday morning. As I mentioned, the kid was violent. Consequently, I waited in front of the school every day for one of his parents to pull up with my charge in tow in the back seat. I would then walk him directly to the classroom. As I was standing around each morning for several minutes I, naturally, saw the other parents dropping their kids off (with LAUSD taxpayer funded food discount cards stashed in their backpacks). What struck me is that it was invariably a parade of BMWs, Escalades, new SUVs and other vehicles much nicer than the Nissan Sentra I always deposited in the faculty parking lot.
Americans (perhaps we Los Angelenos more than others) have this thing about appearing wealthy and successful. Substance and reality are not to be considered in the 21st century! The problem with all that is that you'll die broke if you don't get your financial act together. Those who fail to understand at least part of this reality are commonly the poor.
