Shoe Shine Boys

For a lot of people around here it is tough to make a living. Many people make clothing, or jewelry, or artwork. Child labor laws do not exist here (or if they do, they are not enforced). It breaks my heart to see 6 year old boys trying to sell you cigarettes in the bar at 2 am (or anytime for that matter), and 4 year old girls wandering around the Plaza selling finger puppets. That sucks. Then there are the shoe shine boys. They make money by wandering the streets with their shoe shine boxes. I can't tell you how many times they have approached me asking if I wanted my shoes shined. I see a lot of business men utilizing their services. Squeaky clean shoes to match their squeaky clean, professional image. Makes sense, but when they approach me... I mean c´mon now. I don´t think these puppys would shine if you bronzed them: