Unfortunately Larry, economy seems to be paramount, and because it is often the uneducated (in electrical) that is the purchaser, they are trained like silly circus monkeys to think lowest cost. (Greed)
I'm sure when you bid a job, your thinking I have to keep the cost down or I won't get the work. This is the reality of it, because the GC, or whomever is asking for the price, is going to take the lowest bid.(Greed) So, in turn, you look to the NEC to see what is the "Minimum" you can do in order to keep your price down. Everyone does the same, so then it becomes how much are you willing to cut labor hours (minimum), and what is the lowest price you can get materials (minimum).
My point being, is that we have become a world of "minimum" where people have become accustomed to getting low quality, cheap and dirty while the guy at the top maximizes his profit. (Ignorance and Greed) So in effect the NEC has become a design guide, a very poor one I might add; used to determine the minimum requirements to keep the price to a minimum. (Apathy)
I see it in kids today, not wanting to do any work, but thinking they should get paid top dollar just because they show up. The culture that has been created does not reward those that strive to do quality work, instead it breeds complacency and tries to level the playing field by making everyone equally incompetent while expending minimal effort. (Apathy)
Fundamental causes of social problems: ignorance, apathy, and greed. The NEC plays right into it.
So how do we change it? Take out all references in the NEC that have anything to do with non-safety related issues, and let qualified designers and engineers do the design. Let people start thinking again, so they can take pride in what they do, which will in turn create value. Let clients pay for what it's worth, if they can't afford it, they don't buy it; what a novel concept.
Now, what size breaker can I put on a #1/0AWG? Ah, that's right, I 'll just look it up in that handy cookbook called the NEC.