Birgitte writes:
The US sub-national issue is not about power but logistics. One national chapter will never self-organize in the US. All the incentives to do so (tax-deductabilty, legal support, press contacts) have been "stolen" by the WMF.
So far as I know, there is no legal prohibition or hurdle that prevents either a national chapter or a subnational chapter from forming in the United States. Such a chapter certainly could organize itself as a nonprofit, seek tax-deductible status, and so on.
I do wish you hadn't used the word "stolen," even if you mean for it to be a metaphor.
I agree that there are geographic hurdles with regard to a U.S. national chapter, but would stop short of predicting that a national chapter will "never self-organize." Over the course of my career, I've frequently been surprised at the willingness of large geographic groups to self-organize.
--Mike