I used to work at OSHA in the mid-70's, and at that time they were contemplating imposing a regulation on agricultural workplaces that mandated that "no agricultural worker shall be more than five minutes from a toilet," but were nice enough to include portable potties in the definition of "toilet." All very well and good, but the definition of "agricultural worker" included stockmen and wranglers on places like the King Ranch, who often live in the field for a week at a time on a round-up. The so-called "Prairie Privy Standard" as originally written would have required places like that (the King Ranch is about the size of the state of Rhode Island) to have porta-potties distributed across it, with ten minutes' walking time between any two! It was obvious that this "standard" had been written by some chair-warmer in DC who'd never been more than 40 feet from a toilet in his or her life and literally couldn't conceive of a job in which pooping on the ground was considered NORMAL and necessary.

Anyone who has ever worked for the Federal government (and anyone who's ever attended a Congressional hearing on any subject) is aware of the stupendous number of mediocrities who are running the country, in both elected and Civil Service positions. You could walk through the corridors of any government building and fire every third person you met, at random, and everything that truly needed to get done would get done. The rest of what is done is just digging holes and filling them up again. I know: I spent 3 years in Civil Service in two regulatory agencies, turned down a promotion in a third, and left in disgust because of the phenomenal inefficiency and sheer waste of time working for the government represents. I'm still a civil servant of sorts: but I work for a state government that's effective, fiscally responsible, and efficient.