This is perhaps the falsest dichotomy I've ever read. Not only are there still plenty of smart and capable people still graduating regardless of grade inflation

This is perhaps the falsest dichotomy I've ever read. Not only are there still plenty of smart and capable people still graduating regardless of grade inflation, but the people who built the shuttle are still around! The reasons we can't build a better version are far more political than anything else. Certainly education in a non-factor.