Worth every penny

'Mr. Bloomberg is worth $5 billion to $20 billion, probably closer to $20 billion, Mr. Sheekey says. The mayor wants to give it all away, eventually. In 2001, he spent $74 million on his first mayoral campaign. He could have spent that money on, say, a smoking cessation program, but instead he got elected and then banned smoking in bars and restaurants — arguably having a greater impact. So rather than give away $1 billion in 2008 to benefit Americans, why not spend $1 billion to get elected if he thinks he can benefit America as president?'