San Francisco already has the lowest ratio of people under 18 to total population of any city in the United States. A new survey indicates that half of the families with preschool children plan to move out. This is hardly unexpected, since housing costs are crippling. But even more so, the City is just not a friendly place for kids. The dominant political concerns in SF have to do with self—absorbed adults, living their various "lifestyles" and demonstrating their various freedoms.

A city without families is a city without a soul. Pleasure—seeking has its limits, ultimately. When the current generation of lotus—eaters dies, I suppose others will move in from elsewhere to occupy their quarters. Perhaps it is time to pay respect to St, francis, and rename the city for its true patron saint: Narcissus.

Thomas Lifson  10 22 05