Government by the rich, for the rich

Today I chatted with a friend who recently spent a couple of days in San Francisco. One impression was the large number of beggars and homeless people on the streets of that city. They'll be comforted, no doubt, when old copies of this week's Economist descend to their level, to be reminded of their mayor's policy priorities:

"We will not stop until every San Franciscan has access to free wireless-internet service.” It was a typically bold statement from Gavin Newsom, the charismatic young mayor of San Francisco, as he announced plans in October 2004 for a Wi-Fi network that would blanket the city with wireless-internet coverage.