In a word, corruption. The US has fully legalized corruption, from the top, so no one at management level can be indicted for indulging in it, although they ma

In a word, corruption. The US has fully legalized corruption, from the top, so no one at management level can be indicted for indulging in it, although they may be punished administratively for blocking it. Now, public works projects are obliged to devote the majority of project funding to buying off gatekeepers with long-term revenue channels that, because they will dry up when the project is complete, promote delays and frequent, expensive (for us), and lucrative (for them) scope changes. In some countries, corruption is commonly a retail affair. In the US, its privileges are more jealously held at the top. The US is now among the top five most corrupt states. In China and Russia, corruption is still technically illegal, just so that underlings may be threatened with prosecution for that if they step out of line. The US system is more streamlined; we know it suffices to fire most nuisances, reserving imprisonment for anyone exposing crime. Those fired improperly may sue, but the government or insurance pays, so that is OK.