" 
 ::: I appreciate your candor,  and  and also value your experience. Although I created my original account in 2007, I've only been active in a regular fashion here since July 2013. I've read over some of Kudpung's work analyzing the RfA process, the pages of conversation on reform which seem to occur annually until 2013. I'm sure if I read over some of the proposals that were posted at the Village Pump and died a quiet death, I'd be even more depressed!  
 ::: Change takes a lot of effort and coordinated (or semi-coordinated) action by a group of respected editors and admins. It also seems like there were years (2006-2008) when a lot of change happened and policies created so it could be that, after 13 years, Wikipedia has become somewhat ossified and less flexible to the introduction of new ideas. I also know that there are fewer editors and they are spread thinly throughout the project. Just in the year I've been active, I see less participation at WP:AN/I than there was 6 months ago (which could be a bad or good thing!). With so much effort by admins and editors just to keep up with the backlog, it leaves less time and fewer people to discuss policy proposals (at least, until a crisis occurs). Good policy is not made by reacting to crises but sometimes it is the only way change happens.    "