Say it ain't so XBob, but, This is (unfortunately) all too true. Fortunately, I am now retired disabled (but not badly :-), and don't have to face that idiocy every day. Nobody, today even has the slightest exposure to drafting instruments, and most have never set pencil to paper (or vellum). I do believe that the young Engineering types feel that ideas come right out of a computer, because I have never met one of the "new generation" who has the slightest idea of "brainstorming", or any other useful design tools.
This being said, HAM seems to describe his act precisely, and the "faulty analysis" seems to be the norm, rather than the exception, these days. Although not mentioned in the article, remember the "semi-destructive testing" which was done on an RCC seal, then simply reinstalled as flight hardware, blindly forgetting that people's lives depend on this stuff. Working with "man-rated" components used to be serious and heady stuff indeed, as one knew that one was holding lives in your hands, and did the requisite amount of over-design to darn well make sure the component worked, every time, but all that seems to have gone by the wayside today.
Keep the Faith For Freedom
Greg