If there are resources all over, it makes them a non-issue. That's like saying "Oooh, did a tank get beaten by archers? Well then, use the editor, change tank attack to 99, and it won't happen anymore!"
Of course that is true, but it messes up the game. The problem is that the resource and combat systems have issues unrealistic enough to detract from the game. There is practically no oil in Europe except for the North Sea, yet they still make cars and planes there. They import all of their aluminum - and *gasp* some of them get it from the same deposit! The correct solution to resource problems is allowing editor abilities to change the effect of strategic resources. Personally, I want to be able to make the lack of a resource double/triple the cost of something that needs it.
And, of course, the problem with tanks vs. archers is solved by increasing hitpoints - I'm not sure why Firaxis decided to reduce them so drastically; in fact, I thought the primary improvement from Civ1 -> 2 was increasing hitpoints from 1 to (generally) 10. But again, this could change other things like artillery damage, so it is best done with a comprehensive alteration to the core engine, rather than a simple 5-minute hack.
-Saber Cherry
