-- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com america -- the land of opportunity, a kcountry built o hope and the chance of success, on the american dream. but is the dream as we once knew it dying? are the middle-class vanishing and the richest 1% of the population holds more wealth than the bottom 90%. >> this is the defining challenge of our time, making sure that our economy works for every working american. >> maybe one day soon real change will actually be made in our nation's capitol, but what happens in the meantime? is there something that we can do to help close the gap? is there something that i can do

to the prove that a little help goes a long way? i believe that the american dream is everybody having a chance to succeed. >> educating your kids and hopefully have a better life than you. >> not worrying about a place to live and something to eat at night. >> a house. >> 2.5 kids. >> a golden retriever. >> a white picket fence. >> it is the opportunity to create the life that you want for yourself. >> and hopefully finding some sort of happiness while you do it. >> once upon a time, americans thought that the hard work would be rewarded with success or at least a comfortable middle-class lifestyle, but these days the divide of rich and poor is greater than it has ever been,

and the question is, what is it going to take to change things? to find out, i have come to one of my all-time favorite cities, new orleans. the people who live here are among the most vibrant and the most resilient that i have ever met, but it is also a place where the rich and the poor live side by side. if any city in america can give us a window into income inequality, it is this one. if we want to fix the problem of income inequality, we have to first understand income inequality, so today i will be working for tca which stands for total communication action which is a nonprofit supporting low income families in new orleans for 50 years. thousands come through these doors for employment assistance, child care, tax filings, food stamp applications, food pantry ap supplies and utility assistance.

and some come here just to yuse the computer. their mission s to help move people from poverty to self-sufficien self-sufficiency. it is a huge operation, and taking up an entire city block. thelma phrench is the president and the ceo of tc, and today, she is going to give me my marching orders. >> hello. >> welcome to total community action. >> i'm morgan spurlock. nice to meet you. >> pleasure to meet you. >> so kind of working and living down here every single day, how do you see the income inequality in america? >> well, unfortunately i see the gap widening and the ability of people to close it more difficult, but i don't believe that everyone starts with a equal chance and people should be supported while they are moving up. >> what can i do while i am here? >> well, today, you will be sitting at the front desk and meet the clients as they come in. >> okay. >> and then i think that we are going to go down to employment services and try to connect some people who are underemployed with either a second job or full

time employment. >> great. here goes nothing. my first task is helping out at reception. >> today, you are going to work with latesha. >> is that my boss? >> yes, that is your boss. >> hi, i'm your boss today. >> she is not going to be too hard on you. >> hi, i'm morgan. >> welcome to tca. >> my job is to help la ke'kesh to bring in clients and help them. don't let the tiny waiting room fool you. last year alone, 62,000 people came through tca at some point, and 40% of those were first-time clients. >> good morning. >> what can we help you with? >> i need to apply for food stamps. >> okay. are you working now, sir? >> i am not. >> okay. >> but my wife works, and that is the income that i will have

to go by. >> great. i'm morgan. >> john. >> john, nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you. >> so you need to take a seat, and this is the application form. >> okay. >> john has come to tc asha to up for the supplemental assistance program also known as snap or food stamps. today, 1 in 7 americans rely on food stamps to keep from going hungry and in louisiana, a whopping 1 in 5 depend on the progr program. have you applied for assistance before? >> no, i have not. >> and what brought you in today, and what is the deciding facto factor? >> well, things are just getting tough, man. i haven't been working in a while, and i stay at home, and i take care of our son. and it has been this way now for a little bit over a year, ant it does not work, man, you know what i mean? >> why so hard for you to find work? >> my job as a bricklayer in the union evaporated. it was just gone. there was no more. i had a job making $25/hour, and

i had a nice suburb and a nice residential setting, and i just lost it all. >> it is easy to tell after talking to john after a few minutes that things have gotten desperate. food stamps could help, but what would help him even more is a job. so i am second him over to lawyer winfield in employment services where i will be helping out for the rest of the afternoon with ms. cindy monroe. held hilo, h -- hello, how are ? >> hello, morgan. i'm good. >> i wanted to check in. how are you? >> on top, and getting higher. i have a lady who is employ ed and not know if she wants to subsidize her current employment or looking for another job, and we will see. >> have you seen it a lot that people are trying to find a second job because they can't make ends meet and they want to

talk to you about that. >> yes, we are talking about the working poor and people who need to work and still can't afford the benefits, and the working poor are still us folks who don't have at least six months' money in the bank. i would be in trouble myself. it could happen to me. >> yeah. >> it could happen to you. we are all just, you know, one step away. >> good morning. >> good morning, my darling. how are you? >> we will sit right out back of miss sidney. >> tell me about you. >> i'm a pbx operator. medical assistance. >> bricklayer. mason. >> hospitality. >> if the world was perfect and ideal, what would you like to do? >> i like to help people. >> anything in particular? >> anything. >> the ability to search for a job is just like a job. >> do you have a resume? we can assist you in creating

o one. >> okay. >> if you want me to the, we can do some mock interviewing. >> okay. that is what i need. >> i have some job openings in my system, and i am going to look, and you take that, and i will put on here that you will bring resume. >> i feel good about the chances of you becoming employed within a reasonable amount of time. >> i am ready for the job. >> all right. >> how are you doing? >> good, yourself? >> great. sidney monroe. >> i'm leah smith. >> what bringbes you to us today? >> i am here to see if i can get tca to help me with some type of work and interview assistance. >> okay. let's talk about you. how old are you? >> i'm 39. >> how many in the household? myself and my son, and he is currently 11. >> are you currently working? >> yes, part-time at lowe's. >> are you available to work full-time? >> yes. >> would you like one full-time job? >> honestly i would stay at lowe's and work a full-time job

or however it takes to make ends meet. >> would you like to go to school? >> i would like to go to school to pick up a trade or something, because anything to better myself, but it is really hard. >> because of your little boy? >> yes. >> and i guess for now you could supplement the income with a part-time job, but you need one job, because you need to be spending time with your son. >> right. i will walk her down to energy assistance. >> okay. >> great. >> she is pretty great. >> yes, she is. >> i have to be honest, ms. smith is not the type of person i thought that i would help today, because after all, she is employed, but still not making ends meet. the hope is that tca will connect her with the assistance that will help her get by, and then eventually, she will have enough of a leg up so that she does not have to worry at all. and it is the type of war on

poverty declared by president johnson. >> so every person can have a job, and every kid can have an education and we can get the people off of the streets and we can in time have a great society that we are all entitled to. >> president johnson believed for the nation to reach the full potential, everyone must have the opportunity to contribute. with that goal in mind, government assistance programs like job corps, food stamps, and other programs were ushered in, and in those years infant mortality has gone down and college tuition rates have gone up, and poverty rates have diminished, but not disappeared and the critics say it is not the government's role to intervene in the first place and safety net programs should be eliminated altogether. >> and people have their hand out and they don't want to help. >> and government is a big narcotic, and they can't solve the problem of poverty. >> and there were deep cuts to social programs that was a bill

passed by the house. >> and the house program sponsored by senator ryan cut programs like food stamps, and programs for the poor. >> and it needs to attack the plight of the poor. this is war. >> and why it is not? >> because people on the opposite side of the spectrum have all of the resources and the wealth and the power and 1u6 such, they are not suffering and they don't have the sensitivity and the degree of compassion necessary to really command their attention in the way that perhaps we could even e begin to reresolve this. >> do rich people have an obligation to help people who are less fortunate? >> well, when you look at the core principles of what made america, america, yes, they do. yes, they definitely do. >> i have to agree with lawyer, because we all need to be doing more to solve this problem and not less. i know i want to find a way to help even in the smallest way,

but first, i need to the truly understand the mindset of the other side, the 1%.

i don't just make things for a living i take pride in them. so when my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis was also on display, i'd had it. i finally had a serious talk with my dermatologist. this time, he prescribed humira-adalimumab. humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. in clinical trials, most adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis saw 75% skin clearance. and the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred.

before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make the most of every moment. ask your dermatologist about humira, today. clearer skin is possible. amam rich. my social circle includes captains of industry, former secretaries of state, oil tycoons, and ambassadors of countries known for their fine cheeses. yes i am rich. that's why i drink the champagne of beers. you are gonna need a wingman. and my cash back keeps the party going. but my airline miles take it worldwide. [ male announcer ] it shouldn't be this hard. with creditcards.com, it's easy to search hundreds of cards and apply online. creditcards.com.

i'm in new orleans, louisiana, and around here rich and poor live side by side is, and yet the gap between them is widening by the day. i have been working with total community action a nonprofit to kcon next low income families with much needed assistance, but in order to really understand the problem of income inequality and to help make a debnt, i needed to get inside of the 1%. americans have not made so much since the roaring '20s. less than two miles away from tca, there is a very different

world, st. charles avenue. how are you? morgan. >> nice to meet you. >> nice to meet you sh, and tha you for having us. john is a high powered attorney in new orleans and raked in hundreds of millions of dollars over the course of his career. your house is amazing. >> thank you. this house was built by a cotton king in new orleans and this was a wed withing present to his wife. -- this was a wedding present to his wife. >> your kitchen is bigger than my apartment. >> yeah, it is a working kitchen. >> what is the monthly cost of the house? >> well, a lot. it is more than my first year as a lawyer. >> what did you think of the first time you met? >> i later found out she is from moscow, and big russian pop star, and this is kind of normal. in is her normal life. >> yes.

>> what did you think the first time you came to the house? >> i was confused. >> you were confused, because of how big it is? >> yes. i didn't know where my room was. >> right. wow. >> the bed belonged to marie antoinette. >> noway! like it was actually marie antoinette's bed? >> yes. >> that is quite amazing. >> i remember the first time that i wrote myself a check for $1 million. and i thought, that's the american dream. >> yeah. >> but you get there, and you have a dream and you have ambition, and you have a drive, and that drive does not go away, and $5 million. and then you get there. and you know, what i thought rich before is different than what i think rich is now. >> what is rich today? >> probably a billionaire, and that is rich. it is like monopoly. you know, you don't get to the

point in monopoly where you win. you just keep going. >> and when john says he keeps going, sometimes it is in one of the custom built racecars. that is right, while some people find time to go to the gym in the morning, john hits the racetrack. >> well, what i like about this is that it is a hard to concentrate on anything else. you can't worry about work and you can't worry about the problems. you have to concentrate just on this. so when you are in a good groove and going fast is that your talent would get you beyond the rich guy in the ferrari and pass him. that was always great. i like the underdog. >> i don't think that you are the underdog anymore? >> well, i sued walmart one time, and let me tell you, you felt like the underdog. it is all relative, my friend. >> john is a walking or rather racecar driving paradox. though he is part of the 1%, he

made his millions representing the 99% as a victims rights attorney. he has collected millions of dollars on insurance companies on behalf of victims of hurricanes ka trtrina, ike and sandy and runs the same law firm company that is credited with taking down big toe back eco, but john is always a entrepreneur and always looking for the next big profitable opportunity. and recently, he has partnered with other one percenters who are partnering in a oil and gas project in louisiana. how do you get to the point as an incredibly successful lawyer and you say, i'm going to do oil and gas? >> well, it happened organically, and i was working with entrepreneurs in that industry as a lawyer. then after a while, i learned how they did it, and you know what, maybe i can do it. but it is a risk. you are putting out your money, and your time in the hope that it is going to work. >> yes. >> it may not. there are things that work, and

things that don't. >> but that is the thing about getting ahead, it requires taking the risk that might work and might fail, and failing is a luxury that many of us simply can't afford. for john take thing a risk with the new oil an gas venture may be the thing that pushes him into the billionaire status, so we are taking to the skies to check on the site of the newest project. >> you have to understand what is an opportunity. what is the door opened for you, and you have to the understand when, okay, right here is an opportunity for me to improve. >> i have to say that from all of the way up here, it is easy to forget that for many down there, those opportunities are becoming more and more rare. >> well, that was pretty awesome. he is used to it and just another friday for him, but for me, pretty awesome. in all honesty, i'm enjoying myself. thank you very much. >> cheers. >> in one day with john, i'm getting to do things that most people don't get to do in an entire lifetime, and tonight, john is going to introduce me to

some of the influential social set including businessmen and colleagues and social set and even a grammy award winning musici musician. and i have to ask if wouldn't a little bit of sharing go a long way for the people across town? >> let's eat. morgan, welcome to new orleans. >> cheers. >> you have been in new orleans for a couple of days now? >> yes, it is amazing. i have been working at a place called total community action from the food pantry to the job services to the people who sudden suddenly the, it got cold, and suddenly freezing here for the last month, and their electric bill went from $85 to $400 and the people can come to get help, and it is a remarkable place. >> we are trained to think that if you work hard, if you do the right things, you, too, can have it. i think that's not true.

you have to have certain breaks. you have to have certain opportunities. and you have to have certain environment, and that becomes a challenge. >> yeah. >> we live under the fallacy of with liberty and justice for all, and if you just pull yourselves up by the boot straps, it is all going to be okay, but that presumes that we all started at the same starting line, and your car races, and if you are in a different heat than you, and right? we will adjust your times and make it so that everybody can golf. i love golf, okay. but we have a handicap system, and in this country, we have gotten away from that, and that is no longer popular, and we have gone back to, ah, forget about, that and everybody run your own race, and then all of the sudden, the disparity that existed that we were trying to equalize is now spread apart again. >> listen, i have spent the morning with a single mom who works hard everyday, and is making $500 every two weeks. so where's the opportunity for

her to kind of get beyond where she is? >> we have allowed money to hijack the debate. >> the debate and the conversation is no longer dominated by the majority, but it is dominated by whoever has the majority of the money. >> that is exactly right. >> and when you reach a certain level of financial success or achievement, do you have an obligation to give back? >> yes. absolutely. >> absolutely. >> 1,000%, yes. >> and so tca, it does not need a lot of money to make an organization, and it goes a long way, and they have 300 people who work for that organization, and he should have a fund-raiser for tc, a ashgtca and that is w him. >> yes, cheers. >> all right. awesome operation. >> cheers. after i opened my account. and i earn 5 times the rewards on internet, phone services

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i'm in new orleans, louisiana, navigating the vast divide between rich and poor in this city. while one percenters like john are getting richer, things seem to be going from bad to worse to many of the low inkcome familie i met at tc, and last night i convinced john to the host a fund r fund-raiser for tca, but i still feel like i have more to learn from the folks struggling to get by on the bottom. >> i have met so many interesting people and what i want to do is to go out now to get a sense of what their lives are like and what got them to where they are, and how to get them out of the situations they are in. i am on the way to mrs. smith who represents the middle ground of someone who works very hard

and who will only go ask for assistance if it is a last resort. well, this is a great house. >> thank you. >> it is really cute. >> it is an awesome neighborhood and i was really lucky to find this place here. >> you like the neighborhood over here, too? >> yes. >> yes. >> it is like my mom, and she still corrects me. my mom still does that. did i hear a dog bark when we came in? >> yes. >> where is the puppy? >> come on, tessie. >> look at that face. look at that face! >> this is my son and that is my dogger. let's see what we have here. >> later today, ms. smith has to work her part-time shift at lowe's, but this morning, she is taking time out of her busy life to have breakfast. >> and look at that, look at how good the fluffy eggs look. tell me what you make on average

versus the expenses. >> every two weeks, my check may be between $400 and $600 and it varies depending upon the hours. >> and you don't know how many hours you will get? >> between 10 and 25 hours every week. >> so some weeks you will have 10 hours? >> yes. >> and how much are you making? >> $12. >> so you could get as low as $120 for the week? >> yes. >> are you ever able to save any money at all? >> not really. >> no. >> i got paid friday, and may have $4.34 in the bank. >> wow. >> yes. >> right now, all i have is the will to struggle. >> yeah. >> i don't have anything else. i don't have anyone ki call on. i don't have any outside help. i have given up being happy almost you can say. my only happiness now is my family, and otherwise. i don't really have anything else to be happy for.

>> yeah. what do you think would change things? what would turn it around? >> hit theconnect 1200

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right here. my parents were immigrants. and they taught me that with hard work, anything is possible. i earned a scholarship to mit. and worked across party lines to get things done. i'm alex padilla.

i'll protect voting rights for everyone. and make it easier to start a business. so we create jobs and opportunity for all californians. what should we order? (announcer) alex padilla. secretary of state. this week i'm down in new orleans getting to know some of the city's 99% and also some of the 1%.

it is starting to seem like these days the american dream comes with the price tag, and the more money you have, the more likely you are to achieve it. take john who is the millionaire attorney who is throwing a fund-raiser for tc, and his money affords him the opportunity to take huge risks that might lead to greater profits and in turn, greater opportunities, but there is a reason that john seems to empathize with the 99%, because he used to be one of them. >> when i was born, my father made $1,500 for the whole year. >> so like he made $100 a month? >> yep. my mother and father tell a story about being on food assistance, and it was really hard waiting in a waiting room for food assistance. the lie that people have told the middle-class is that people are poor because it is easier to be poor. it is not easy being poor. it is much less work to have a good job than to have to live that kind of a life. >> right. >> they worked and they clawed their way up, and they got out of it, but i understand how incredibly lucky, because there

a l a lot of people who work really hard who don't get the breaks. >> yeah. >> if we don't have safety nets, for hardworking people who can't get a break -- >> yeah. >> -- then it is ultimately going to come back to us having an uneducated american public and also comes back to us having a sick america, and comes back to people who don't have the options that i had, and turn to crime or in desperation turn to other thing, and what the rich need to understand is that what is good for me is sometimes also what is good for my neighbor. >> and your wealthy friends must think that you are crazy. >> most of them do. why do you want to vote for a party that wants to raise your taxes? >> although one percenters like john are few and far between, he is not alone. >> okay.

i want to go and then you will go. >> meet the smart capitalist for smart prosperity, a group of leaders who have been lobbying president obama and the congress to increase the minimum wage. >> it is past time for the minimum wage to rise to the level that approaches the poverty levels of this nation. >> the group is made up of well known industry moguls from both sides of the aisle. >> they are absolutely members of the one percent, and they employ people, and invest in companies, and these are people who have tremendous power and tremendous wealth and they have great access to the lawmakers and they have decided to say, this is something that is good for all americans, and let's raise the american wage. >> right now it is $7.25 an hour, and we are here to implore this congress the raise it to $10.10 quickly. and to index it thereafter. >> and although at first glance, it might look like a charity mission, it is anything but that. >> and one of the smart capitalists of the ben and jerry fame said to me, erica, there is so much chunky monkey one rich guy can eat, but if you raise

the minimum wage, then they can spend more money on ice cream and ben and jerry's goes up, and they employ more people, and it is a virtual circle. >> and it is echo ed by economists who say that while some equality is needed for capitalism to work, but so much inequality is undermining the economy. and many save and invest at a much higher rate, and so most won't trickle down to benefit the rest of the e kconomy, but w does it affect you, the consumer, if the minimum wage goes up? turns out, not much at all. >> if the united states passed the $10.10 wage, the increase in prices would be a small fraction of the 1%, and the total cost to the walmart shopper would be $12.50 a year. >> and today, it is not just the smart capitalists taking a

stand. >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states. [ applause ] >> now, it was one year ago today that i first asked congress to raise the federal minimum wage. so over the past year, the failure of congress to act was the equivalent of a $200 pay cut for these folks for the typical minimum wage worker, and that is a month worth of groceries and so while congress decide swhats going to do, and today, i am going to do what i can to help raise working americans' wages. [ applause ] >> president obama is signing an executive order that will raise the minimum wage for federal contractors to $10.10 an hour, but for the rest of the american worker workers to also get a raise, it is up to the members of congress to act. >> members of congress, you can help to help people make progress or you can hinder the progress. >> and this is a first step, and people will say, i can call my congressman or senator and then all of the sudden, a bunch more consumers with a bunch more

money to spend, and businesses spending, and more people hiring, and america is back on track again. >> but the truth is to passing the minimum wage to $10.10 is not enough, but back in new orleans, it is pretty obvious that even a little extra help would go a long way. verizon has always set out to provide you with the most powerful and reliable network experience. and now for the next advancement. introducing verizon xlte. with 2x the 4g lte bandwidth and faster peak speeds in cities coast-to-coast, there's more space for everyone to stream and share more. this is xlte. for best results, use verizon. now bring in the whole family and get four lines for $160. i live in a luxury penthouse overlooking central park. when the guests arrive, they're greeted by my butler, larry.

my helipad is being re-surfaced so tonight we travel by more humble means. at my country club, we play parlor games with members of the royal family. yes i am rich. that's why i drink the champagne of beers. so when my moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis them. was also on display, i'd had it. i finally had a serious talk with my dermatologist. this time, he prescribed humira-adalimumab. humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. in clinical trials, most adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis saw 75% skin clearance. and the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,

including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. make the most of every moment. ask your dermatologist about humira, today. clearer skin is possible.

it has been an eye-opening week for me in new orleans and i'm beginning to understand what it really means to live at both ends of the economic spectrum, and tonight, i'm returning to john's home for the fund-raiser that we had planned. we are throwing an auction with all of the proceeds going to tca. >> there it is. >> whoa! >> oh, my gosh. >> wow. >> the rea tail is $25,000. >> absolute ly. >> wow. wow. franco brought some yankees havi -- brought some earrings, and he is predicting $25,000 that they can auction that off tonight. so, that would be amazing. now, we have to pry people with lots of booze. i have a goal in mind of how much money we should raise. tca's president thelma french

said that the largest private donation they ever got was $1,000, and hopefully tonight, we will raise much more than that. >> everybody! can we have your attention, please. >> thank you, all of you for coming. i was called not too long ago and i met morgan spurlock, and he has been spending days in new orleans, and he has been talking to different people in this city about what does it take to make it, and what are the things that stand in your way, and we decided that we would have some friends over to talk about this. so while we are actually having dinner the other night, and as we were talking about people making a difference and giving back is when i basically conned him and suckered him into having this benefit here tonight. i said, if we really want to do something, why don't we try to the raise some money for tc, and he help the folks. this year, they are celebrating

their 50th anniversary and there are about 62,000 people in new orleans that go through the doors of tca every year. it is an incredible place with such a huge impact, and the people, and even the people who work there are remarkable. so tonight, we can start to chip away and give them a chance. so, with the help of franco who is here tonight, and he has been so generous to donate a pair of yanke earrings tonight. and going to bring those up. >> lovely. >> and retail, $25,000. >> let me just add one thing that the largest donation that they have ever gotten from a private individual is $1,000. so they are going to start at $1,000. >> $2,000. >> who has $2 th,000. >> $5,000. >> and $8,000. >> we have $8,000. >> who is going $10,000. >> and look at that, you have $10,000. how about 12? >> i love my wife.

>> you men should feel terrible. >> he is going $14,500. >> how about $15,000? big john is going $15,000. >> i love my wife the most apparently. >> and $17,000. >> you are still saving money. >> $18,500. >> and $18,500 going once, twice, sold to our amazing host, and let's hear it for john. one more thing, as i said, the largest donation was $1,000, and who is in this room would be willing to donate $1,000 to help this charity. come on. there is $9,000, and $10,000. and there is $10 and who can commit to $500? okay. there is another $1,500, and now i want to make it easy for everybody.

everybody else who has not raised their hand, $100. okay. so there we go another $1,500, and fantastic, guys. thank you. give yourself a round of applause. ladies and gentlemen, give it up for grammy award winner ertha mayfield, everybody. make some noise. >> it was an amazing night. we raised $31,000, and that is not go g ing to solve everythint tca, but it will help to relieve the burden and i can't wait to go mrs. phrfrench the check, an the largest donation she had ever gotten is $1,000, and you have to start someplace, and the ultimate is what can i do to help someone. that is the ultimate next step.

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right here. my parents were immigrants. and they taught me that with hard work, anything is possible. i earned a scholarship to mit. and worked across party lines to get things done. i'm alex padilla. i'll protect voting rights for everyone. and make it easier to start a business. so we create jobs and opportunity for all californians. what should we order? (announcer) alex padilla. secretary of state.

it was my last day in new orleans and i'm on my way this morning to tca to give them the checks from the fund-raiser that we had at john's house, and we raised $31,000, and we raised more than, you know a lot of people make in a year. this money is going to help 30 people who work at tca to take

care of their families and have a little bit more stability and security and it is going to the people who help so many others, i think it is the best thing. >> good morning. how are you? >> very good. good morning. >> how are you? >> everything is well, thank you for asking. >> do you want to go with me to see mrs. french, and grab lawyer, too. do you want to come upstairs to talk to mrs. french real quick. put on the handsome hat. >> good morning. >> good to see you. >> ho how was the weekend? >> it was fantastic. >> and i grabbed them, because they were such a fantastic inspirations for me over the course of the last week, and to kind of -- >> i hope so. >> and you know, i love so much what you are doing here, and how many people you are helping and

the impact that you have, and we had a fund-raiser on friday for you. >> oh. >> at a local guy's house who donated his house, and invited all of his friends. >> i need him as a champion. >> but we raised $31,000 for you. >> oh, wonderful. oh, thank you so much. >> there are checks and cash. >> oh, i cannot thank you enough. we appreciate this so much, and i don't know how the tell you, this is the first time that anybody has done anything of this level for tc, a ashtca, an very grateful. >> oh. what has become obvious to me when it comes to inkoicome inequality is that there needs to be an opportunity for the people at the bottom the push them back up, and push them into the middle-class to give them

hope in their lives. i believe that things can be better, but it is going to take more than government intervention, and rich people giving money, but a thought process for people to say, this can be better, and we deserve better, but it is going to come down the you and i doing that down the you and i doing that together. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com ♪ >> if money was no object, i would like to just get on a cruise ship and sail around the world. >> i would certainly travel more. >> drink good wine. >> get really fat. >> buy a boat. >> get a house. >> a playstation 4. >> i would buy a home.

>> i would be the best doctor in the world. >> i would start like a charity organization. >> open up a small business and pay the people who work there a livable wage. >> i would just give it a wway. >> i would party until there is no more money and everybody passes. some time ago, something crawled or slithered or grew lick a fungus and something that started small got bigger, lurched like a swamp thing out of the mud and moist earth and humid nights of the delta, and then it took over the world. so, next time some smartass