Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

If you are not familiar with that Latin phrase, it means, "Who will guard the guardians?" attributed to the ancient Roman satirist, Juvenal.  The phrase came to mind while reading this opinion piece in yesterday's Los Angeles Times, in which Steve Lopez tongue-in-cheek takes the Los Angeles City council to task for getting beat by Chicago in political sleaze, and just not trying hard enough.

We've got Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa marketing himself for his next job before he finishes this one; City Atty. Carmen Trutanich insisting he's not the liar he appears to be; auto painters at the DWP making $109,192 a year while the agency guns for a rate hike; and Los Angeles County Assessor John Noguez under investigation for an alleged scandal involving tax breaks for clients represented by his friend.

But what is to be expected when the citizenry does not care what the guardians are doing?  The demographics of Los Angeles shows a growing population within what I call the entitlement class; so long as they receive their entitlements - whether it be WIC, or the comfort in knowing that no matter how badly you perform at your job, your union membership protects you - they ignore what happens within their government.  Or worse - they come to expect it, and eventually the Southland becomes a banana republic, albeit one in fine suits.