I agree that some of the newer permit requirements are pretty ridiculous. I've worked in townships where a load calc was needed to do a bathroom remodel or where you needed to get a permit to replace GFCI receptacles, which also included bringing the house up to current requirements regarding hard wired smoke detectors throughout. At this point I just refuse to work in areas like that for smaller jobs. Getting the permit for that bath remodel took me six hours between travel, notarizing papers, getting insurance docs, doing the load calc etc. which ultimately meant an entire day lost and there's no way to charge THAT much extra for such a small job.
A lot of the local AHJs used to use the "permit for work above $XXX" method, but that's been gone for a long time. Now, if they require permits, it's pretty much for anything, including repairs and in-kind replacements. The main difference is whether the AHJ performs the inspection (included in the price of the permit) or whether you have to hire a 3rd party inspector in addition to the cost of the permit. Again, on smaller jobs this can cost as much as the work being performed.
Ultimately, I don't think requiring permits is an effect of bad electricians, I think it's an effect of homeowners hiring low cost people to perform work. As long as homeowners are going to try and get work done below a fair market price, there will be shoddy tradesmen out there that need to be checked on. It didn't used to be like that