<p>Where you live is a choice. A big part of that choice is living where you can obtain a higher-paying job. Good for you. Along with that higher-paying job comes a higher-cost of living and, by the way, better schools and opportunities for your kids.
“Realistic?” The median income is calculated using numbers, not feelings. That IS the median income and YES, many earning the median income struggle to survive. The fact that you “feel” middle class while earning almost twice the median (and yes, I am assuming that your determination of the appropriate amount to receive aid just happens to be your level of income) in no way changes that you have an income higher than the median. When you walk out the door in your own neighborhood, you feel as though you are no richer than anyone else living in your neighborhood, but - try to follow - that is because you are comparing yourself to your own neighborhood. You are ignoring the people, probably only a few miles away, living in the “poorer” areas of your own town (not to mention the rest of the US) and struggling to survive on, yes, the median income or lower (remember that 1/2 of the population earns LESS than the median).</p>
<p>You want the benefits of living in your neighborhood - the better schools, the better income, etc., but you also want the same financial aid benefits given to a median-income family living where the schools are far worse and the incomes much lower. Time to count your blessings rather than being jealous of those living in lower cost areas.</p>
<p>I am not saying, “move,” I am pointing out that those living in those lower-cost, lower-income areas would probably line up to trade places with you, even if it meant less financial aid.</p>