Politicians do not operate on the principal of what is good for customers. They operate on whether or not doing something increases their odds of reelection, or

Politicians do not operate on the principal of what is good for customers. They operate on whether or not doing something increases their odds of reelection, or in the case of term limits whether an action will make themselves or their successor look good. In the cases you described, putting a wifi mesh net topside is something that can be done in weeks. Revamping a hundred year old subway that woefully needs tens of billions of dollars of renovations that would probably take a decade to complete raise taxes while you are in office while your successor 2 terms later reaps the rewards. If they even get that far - the tragedy of ignorant voters is how long term vision doesn't get anyone votes. If you raise taxes now, you probably won't be in office tomorrow, even if that tax raise would make every constituent you have a millionaire 5 years from now, and they would elect a replacement whose entire platform is to undo what you did, because the immediate pain is much more meaningful to them in the voting booth than the long term promise.