That may be true for the commercial sector. Switching contractors in NASA requires a LOT of paperwork and proving the new contractor can still build the same widgit to the same specifications. As a subcontractor, when we fail to meet specification, we don't get "Meet this or we switch vendors". What we hear is "Fix your processes and provide proof that this will never happen again." I imagine it's easier to demand a company to change their ways than to fully spin-up a new company to meet the stringent requirements. Because of the stringent requirements and amount of effort each widgit takes, we also take a lot of pride in those widgits. Each one feels like an accomplishment. We're pretty invested in the final product by the time it goes out the door. Launches are a celebration.

So if they have an infection, does it make "Southern Discomfort". The Makers used it to Mark their territory. Wild Turkey (yeah, I'm not going there). Peegrams Seven. Ok, I need to stop. This isn't punny.

Maybe we're all part of an experiment in a larger "CERN" I say we muck with their experiment and lead to a bizarre physics model.

This is our survival plan: We'll build 2 ships. We'll fill one with telemarketers, marketing, and zealots. We'll fill the other with scientists, engineers, and workers. Then we'll hope none of the first ship has read Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

... or does this mean the people on the west coast are a lot more sarcastic?

Wow, did they hire the National Enquirer as their official news agency? Soon they will have a Bat-Boy and make up things about our celebrities.

Wait, wait wait. Since when are the social criteria for maturity "judged more socially competent by their teachers" and "more popular and more admired by teachers and peers"?