Land of Plenty

by Gregg Chadwick

A new mayor has been elected in Los Angeles, Antonio Villaraigosa - the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since the city's pioneer days. L.A.'s last Latino mayor, Cristobal Aguilar, left office in 1872, when Los Angeles was a frontier town of barely 6,000 people.

Villaraigosa's win exemplifies the growing clout of Latinos in California, after decades of population growth that failed to lead to a rise in political power.

This is a positive step that bodes well for the future of the city and the state of California. But there is still much to be done. As Bruce Springsteen said at his latest concert in L.A. - "The American government's border policy is a disgrace."

Across the Border in Ensenada, Mexico
photo by Gregg Chadwick

On her blog today, Megan McMillan thinks of Wim Wenders' film, "The End of Violence", after overhearing the gardener's working at her apartment complex. Megan McMillan's description of the conversation illustrates the inequities in this land of plenty:

"Black, white, there are still a lot of problems. Slavery was over a long time ago, but if you think about it, we're slaves too. I just try not to think about it... man, I just try not to think about it."

Listen to a cut off the soundtrack to Wim Wender's "Land of Plenty" ...

The Weight of the World

and create a new reality today.


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