Man, I hope you don't run a business. A small upfront cost that will make your employees more productive is a worthwhile cost. We are all government employee's bosses (as you so gleefully say), so we should want them to be as productive as possible.

There's a reason the most successful companies give their employees good equipment -- it makes them better employees. I don't understand why you think somebody working in the City would be different? Unless you want them to be less productive?