I live in a part of the country where almost everyone is broke compared to east and west coast wealth. Still, we do have our petty, horrid "rich" bastards. One or two of them usually manage to get a seat on the school board. When they do, they are almost always flabbergasted at how much teachers make and set out to further cut teacher salaries. I remember one rich clown who was devastated to learn that his 18$ an hour salary as a guard at the local asylum was less than a first year teacher makes. Fortunately he was voted out before he did much damage.
The kids of "rich" parents are as much a pain in rural Kansas as in Newport and for far less hard dinero. Owning property is a hallmark of wealth. Someone who makes the top salary in a county is still parked on a lower status than a land owner who is straining to make ends meet. People are always speculating on "ground"--who has it, how much of it is mortgaged, how much is productive, worthless, etc. The thing is, economics are always liquid out here. For example, a family that owned ground but worthless ground, twenty years ago, are now on top of the wealth ladder because they leased their land for them new fangled wind turbines when no one else would take the chance. (they scared the cows, spooked the swine and diced up the migrating birds.) Nowadays them turbines pay 900$ a month per turbine. Each one takes about an acre. Unfortunately my dad and my uncle would not consider leasing to them big propeller scammers.
Years ago I taught in a distant county, in a school of less than 100 students--from pre-K to 12th grade. One of my students was rich and particularly obnoxious. He used to come into my classroom before class started, plop a 50$ bill on my lectern and tell me all that was mine if I decided to give them a free day. I knew better than to report him to the principal. His parents were big boosters--sometimes they contributed as much as 200$ to the athletic department.
Now my family has "ground" too, but six counties away. I could not see the point of bringing it up to this thick skulled kid, even when he told me that it was more money than I made in a week. I would smile and say something sweet like--"What, and deprive you and your idiot classmates of the education your taxpaying parents are providing for you? Sit down, moron."
Anyway, I was recently widowed and trying to get out of a financial hole without asking my daddy for help. Something came up, a crisis but there were so many I can't remember the particulars. I had a small investment and had to tap into it for 600$. The $ came in a certified check which I promptly absentmindedly misplaced. I'd like to say it was stress that caused the absentmindedness, but it could as easily be all the pot I smoked in 1970. After searching frantically for it, I had to call, cancel that check and the investment firm cut me a replacement check.
Fast forward a couple of years. Matt Money, this obnoxious rich kid, borrowed a book from my shelves because I was helping him write a paper. He promised to read it and not chew on the cover too much. I nodded and went on with what I was doing. In just a few seconds he was back. "Mrs. Smith! There is a check in this book!"
I played it cool. Didn't even look up. "Is it for 600$?"
"Yes."
"Oh, that's my bookmark. Thanks for finding it." I took it and put it in my Spanish text to mark the chapter. Never saw another 50$ bill from the moron.
