It is no longer special and can no longer demand the public's allegiance. Even more troublesome, the vending machine contributes to passive consumerism. Localities demand nothing more than that customers drop their quarters into the vendingmachine slot. In short, local governments have turned citizens into mere consumers. Finally, the vending machine is based on a deficit model.
Localities assume that something is wrong with people or that they have some kind of deficit.
By providing services, government tries to fix people. When teenagers run away from home, for example, government tries to fix them or their parents by providing shelter or family counseling. If a neighborhood complains of graffiti or gangs, local government responds to this deficit with more police. In an agrarian society, no one family can raise a barn. So they call on their neighbors from miles around.