Thread: How an all-American town became a barrio.

History does repeat itself as is seen by the parlous level of corruption seen by the rotting heads of the civil servant leaders in South Gate, California. In time these little 'strongmen' will be flushed out and good governance will repair the sizeable damage done by the corrupt group that took city hall. The tone of this piece is a bit too much xenophobic but the good news is that the people ultimately control the destiny of a town or on a grander scale a nation. This phenomenon will need to repeat itself several times again before the populace finally realize that they are the final controllers to good gov't best seen through the ballot box but also by using such venues as the local newspapers. This is what is so grand about our country, that at first we may not get it but the people will eventually become aware that the gov't is only as good as the locals care to make it.






May 19, 2003 issue

Copyright © 2003 The American Conservative





South Gate: Mexico Comes to California



How an all-American town became a barrio.



By Roger D. McGrath



While we are engaged overseas in a mission to recreate countries in our own image and likeness, many of our own cities are being transformed into the image and likeness of Mexican villages. Nowhere is this more apparent than California. The city of South Gate, a dozen miles southeast of Los Angeles, is a prime example. Until the 1920s the area that is today South Gate was home to dairiesâ€â€

The small town political corruption that is described in this story is exactly what has happened in San Anotnio, TX. SA is majority hispanic. The city council was a joke! Petty theft, bribery, corruption made the the city government look like a bunch of Mexican overlord goons. The only officials NOT indicted were the 3 or 4 token white & black men on the council.