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Strip Government

Decentrallized Government -- via the 'Wheel of Governance'
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There's a theory of retail development that holds retailers to a development mandate of the following nature:

1. Enterprise
2. Growth and expansion
3. Foreign competition through imports
4. Foreign purchases of domestic businesses
5. Domestic companies under foreign ownership
that compete with other domestic and foreign companies.

The hypothesis is that innovators may enter the market at any point, but to survive competition they must evolve as dynamic companies willing to assume the risks of pricing pressures and cheaper competition -- eventually trading ownership for existence and trading tradition for new clients. The theory is called the 'Wheel of Retailing' and could be applied to government as well.

Governments could be decentralized and remain highly visible by moving into strip malls that line hundreds of miles of highways. There is ready made parking close to the front doors, so constituents could spring into action easily when motivated to do so. Also, the addresses would be much more distinguishable, so much economy would follow the reduction of use of those ponderous federal employee locators and staff office index books that gather dust in great numbers in huge warehouse-like structures that currently house most government offices.

Oh yes, and with the more reasonable rent and shorter commutes from their constituents, many more public sector services such as hot coffee and coin laundries would be nearby our elected officials. That is, would be near those who don't already work from home.

reensure, Nov 08 2001

(?) Quite. http://www.tcwcom.c...les/widdicombe.html
Widdecombe info [reensure, Nov 08 2001]

(?) Strip Centers http://www.thestrat...Articles/strips.htm
A definition for those block long multiply tenanted storefronts that line up endlessly down roads, in particular, down US federal highways near cities. [reensure, Nov 08 2001]

[link]






       Phew! I interpreted "Strip Government" to mean something altogether different and was ready to post some Anne Widdicombe-related annotation.
hippo, Nov 08 2001
  

       Ditto, hippo. The worrying thing is that I am rather disappointed.....
salachair, Nov 08 2001
  

       Sorry [pottedstu] for the deletion, I'm working in bad light in a very small space. Actually, the last half of what you were saying. As for the first half, Me? Own a government? HAHAHAH.   

       I believe, for the most part, the solution to urban sprawl lies in some other direction than to just throw more freeway at it and hope folks will drive farther. My thinking comes as a result of a tour of 481 tons of paving that we did last weekend, and a memory of literally acres of unoccupied second-and-above story office space that exists in some downtowns. Finally, a pæan to all who think it is the responsibility of government to provide solutions for our problems, government is still a small society and would be a better testing ground for rethinking of waning concepts (like the utility of strip malls) than a incubator of fresh concepts.
reensure, Nov 08 2001
  

       Please. What is a strip mall?   

       I thought we should just put them in ivory towers in city centres... with street frontage, of course.
st3f, Nov 08 2001
  

       I wonder if the "wheel of government" has anything to do with pole dancing?
Aristotle, Nov 08 2001
  

       I think that it's more likely to be related to the one invented by Hengist Pod.
DrBob, Nov 08 2001
  

       ¯¯st3f, I think if you walk to the courthouse you can see the moral of that story.   

       strip malls = strip centers (see link)
reensure, Nov 08 2001
  

       I suppose government could take up the retail spaces soon to be vacated by Marcus and Spencius in the UK.
Aristotle, Nov 08 2001
  

       thought this was going to be about moebius strip government - oh no we are back to thatcher
po, Nov 08 2001
  

       I don't know about your state / region, but I would PAY for my congresspeople to keep their clothes on.
vulgrin, Feb 12 2002
  

       Wheel of government turn, turn, turn
Show us the lesson that we should learn.
dana_renay, Feb 12 2002
  
      
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