[dirtshell]

If you've ever worked in the United States in virtually any field, you've undoubtedly heard workers or managers use the phrase "good enough for government work" accompanied by a shoulder shrug. It translates to "close enough".

When you've purchased some expensive product that is made in the United States and it falls apart after a few months, or when you hear a building in the US has collapsed due to cutting corners or cheaping out on materials, or when an accident occurs because safety measures at a factory were non-existent, or when rocket pieces come crashing out of the sky... you can be sure somebody involved mentioned this risk and there was a decision maker who shrugged it off with a "good enough for government work".

To be clear it's an attitude very prevalent in the United Staes and not culturally specific to the United States - I haven't encountered this in Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, or even Hong Kong - and I think it's an attitude that is really holding the US back from its full potential.

[Gravey]

I’ll be honest, when rephrased this way none of these points ring true to me. At least in no way to the same extent as the OP.

[splithalf]

Speaking of rocket pieces falling from the sky...

https://time.com/6046051/china-long-march-rocket/