Why do "Zones" exist within USMS?

I left convention again (which was great this year by the way!) with a nagging question...why do we have "Zones" within the structure of USMS? - They wield little if any "power" within the organization - LMSC's are already often challenged with getting volunteers - The only people that can participate pretty much have to be at convention - One additional "layer" of "management? - The lines that have been drawn are crazy...have you seen the Breadbasket? I'd prefer to see a consolidation into 4 Regions...then realign the meet calendar so that "Regional" Championships actually mean something and are a viable alternative to folks that can't make Nationals for whatever reason. Along with this I would prefer to see the competitive seasons "balanced" a bit as follows: - Short Course = Mid-December until the end of April. State meets held around the first of March, Regional's two weeks later, Nationals two weeks after Regional's. - Long Course = May 1 thru the end of August. State championships held around the first of July, Regional's two weeks later, Nationals two weeks after Regional's - Short Course Meters = September 1 thru mid December. State meets in late October, Regional's in November, Nationals the first or second week of December.