EDITORIAL SECESSION AND THE POOR.THERE'S a certain hypocrisy Hypocrisy See also Pretension. Alceste judged most social behavior as hypocritical. [Fr. Lit.: Le Misanthrope] Ambrosio self-righteous abbot of the Capuchins at Madrid. [Br. Lit. among secession opponents, whether it's former Mayor Richard Riordan Richard J. Riordan (born May 1, 1930) is a Republican politician from California, U.S. who served as the California Secretary of Education from 2003–2005 and as Mayor of Los Angeles from 1993–2001. Riordan ran for Governor of California unsuccessfully in 2002. , the Council of Religious Leaders or Magic Johnson “Earvin Johnson” redirects here. For the Milwaukee Bucks center, see Ervin Johnson. Earvin Effay Johnson, Jr. (born August 14, 1959 in Lansing, Michigan), nicknamed Magic , who invoke To activate a program, routine, function or process. the name of the poor and disadvantaged in their campaign against San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. cityhood. That argument, which seldom goes beyond one-line soundbites, is based on the assumption that Vals seek secession as a way to rid themselves of the underprivileged masses in the rest of L.A. In L.A. In is a compilation of studio recording by Various Artists. It was originally released in 1979 as an LP by Rhino Records. Track listing Side One The Kats the Valley of rich white scrooges, the rhetoric goes, no one wants so much as to lift a finger for the poor. Never mind that whites are a minority in the Valley, which happens to be the best integrated part of the city. And forget that Vals are famous for their steadfast commitment to charity, or that one of the most underserved and disadvantaged communities in all of L.A. is the Northeast Valley, which City Hall has ignored for decades. The notion that the Valley lacks compassion for the poor is condescending and dishonest. If city leaders want to talk seriously about the failure to relieve poverty in the city, they should look first at themselves. It's City Hall that's neglected to repave roads and sidewalks in the city's underprivileged neighborhoods, helping to create slums where working-class communities once thrived. It's City Hall that's failed to enforce housing laws, creating slums and firetraps for the poor to live in. It's City Hall that's chased away business and good jobs, relegating the poor to compete for minimum wage jobs without a future. It's City Hall that's failed to police the streets of the city's poorest communities, letting gangs and drug lords take over and making perpetual victims out of law-abiding residents forced to live in fear. And most damning of all, it's the privileged leadership of this city that's allowed a once-proud public education system to crumble crum·ble v. crum·bled, crum·bling, crum·bles v.tr. To break into small fragments or particles. v.intr. 1. To fall into small fragments or particles; disintegrate. , most especially in the inner-city, where children too often fail or drop out of school without so much as learning to read. It's not the Valley that's failed the city's poor, it's City Hall. No, there's no guarantee that an independent Valley would do any better. But could it do any worse? |
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