Too many bureaucrats with vested interests in keeping their positions of power for that to ever happen. The trend is to more, fewer, smaller governments than consolidation into larger. I doubt any politician would get behind the idea of eliminating his job, staff and percs.
I agree with Gotham as to the reality of this happening. I do think some government services are best done on the Federal level. Universal health care being one and of course social security, and the military but other things like garbage pick-up and street repair (local streets) seems best left to smaller units of government. Living in a large urban area and having worked in a government that was suppose to be regional I have seen a lot of waste and uselessness come from different governmental bodies and can give lots of examples of regional resistance based on turf and power trips rather than logic and an interest in serving the general public, but I have also seen many instances of where small neighborhood groups really have the best knowledge and understanding of the citizens needs and have contributed to making real change that well serves the tax payers of that area. So I guess my response is that there is only case by case times when larger is better.
An interesting insight to American local government.
At the community level one not only knows the needs, but can marshall the energy, vision and dedication to get the community's needs met. The attached link shows what one woman did with a street and neighborhood in the South Bronx to turn it from a ravaged slum to one of the most desirable neighborhoods and streets in the borough. What she did never could have been done on a national, or probably state level -- but only by someone in the community who cared.
view link
The visual record, a video of what one woman with the help of others in the community did -- while national leaders had visited, shook their heads in dismay, and did nothing.
view link
Interesting link Gotham.
Well done Mrs Brooks and Charlotte gardens.
Yeah. Three (3) US Presidents walked through it. But none did anything about it. It took one who lived in the community -- who cared -- to put together an action group to turn a nightmare of burning rubble into a safe, attractive, suburban community
This one example of the reason why the more local the government, the more efficient and responsive to people's needs.
You guys are just to dang smart for me. I can't add a thing. LOL~Smile~
Great post by the way JB.
Better yet to desig region based on the optimal profitable business opportunity. wisconsin region by cheese Autralia to be proportional by farm, mining drinking. ( probably the entire country think instead of calling it australia call it Fosters down under. once thought that Maine could be designed by wbest economic product: Paper in the west part of the State, agriculture in the north with pakaging plants and shipping in the midle part ofthe state fishing where else along a coastal area. and in the South th "high tech, engineering, high end service economy. attorneys, the Major Mrdical centers, the consulting engineers and a few government departments DOT, LURC, the court system. Rather then going global the different sectors would both integrate and on certain areas develop verticle manufacturing or agricultura processes. Northorn pootatoes get shipped to manufacturing of french fries, frozen potato products , not sure what else one can do with a potato? Maine Vodka,
posted by yichel
over 2 years ago
