What they could do back then that we cannot do today

I might or might not have something to say about the U.S. elections (beyond “disappointing”) when the results are finalized. However, the recurring counting delays bring another topic to mind, namely what once could be done but now might be near impossible, what once could be done in a certain time but now takes a lot longer, what once could be done at a certain cost but is now considerably more expensive, or whatever might apply to the individual case. Vote counting? Might once have been done by midnight. Now, it takes days.* Consider building houses and railways, running schools and colleges, giving someone an education, keeping law and order, providing a conscionable level of healthcare, … The moon landings are an interesting case: That they could be done in 1969 and parts of the 1970s, as the result of a truly massive project, is not that remarkable; that there was a long stretch of time when no-one made the attempt is not that remarkable; but that the current attempts are going so slowly, despite better technology, despite what was learnt during the Apollo project,** and despite the ongoing (non-moon) space projects, well, that is remarkable.

*Yes, this might be Democrats using artificial delays to cheat, but, if so, what about all the other things?

**Much of the details and the individual experiences might be lost by now, but much is still preserved, and more could likely be reconstructed with less effort than it takes to re-invent the wheel.

I am not, for now, going to engage in detailed speculation on the causes, as this text is more intended as “food for thought”, but I note that (a) some of the causes might be common, some varying from field to field, (b) among the common causes we might find excessive bureaucracy and/or regulations, lower competence levels and/or a lower willingness to work hard,* an over-reliance on technology, and a shift in purpose of various entities**.

*My outsiders impression from German construction work, e.g., is that it is often a matter of stretching the work to last as long as possible. For instance, next to the nearest grocery store from my apartment, there is an oldish three- or four-story building of unexceptional width and depth. It has been undergoing a complete renovation for, maybe, three years by now—and the end seems nowhere in sight. I daresay that the original builders, if transported in time, could have torn the building down entirely and rebuilt it from the ground up—and still have been done faster and at a lower cost. Even making allowances for COVID lockdowns, this is ridiculous. (And, no, this is not one man with a hammer—but a team of professional workers with, literally, tons of equipment.)

**I mention both “running schools and colleges” and “giving someone an education” above for a reason, namely that schools and colleges do not necessarily have education as their purpose today. Similar problems seem to be very common.