>Talk is cheap and rarely includes a full accounting of real-world constraints.
Of course. But after decades of the same problem, is not time to admit that is time to change?
Everybody always complains about the weather but nobody ever does anything about it.
In other words, even though everybody complains about something, and even though it's theoretically fixable, the cost+benefit isn't always there. That doesn't stop people from complaining or offering conceptual solutions.
If nobody pursues a particular solution, that's strong evidence about the real implementation and problem costs. Not conclusively, of course. But as a passive observer it's usually the best evidence available.
Really, the answer to the COBOL "problem" is obvious and it's what basically anybody familiar with it suggests: a piecemeal and gradual shift according to cost, benefit, and opportunity.
You can tell what a person's _real_ priorities are by what they do. Likewise, you can tell what a society's real priorities are by what they do.