"Improvements are not consciously forbidden, and making things better is not discouraged. But like an enormous traffic jam, no single person has room to do much of anything. Coordinating a number of people to try and move in a better direction can improve things a little, until they are stopped by another group who has no room to move."

That is a great metaphor. Anybody who's considering joining USDS, I think ckozlowski's comment gets the situation exactly right. You are unblocking a traffic jam.