No, people are following the rules and politely asking for a renewal in a different country.

The issue here is that they're not being denied, the government is basically refusing to make a decision for an indefinite amount of time.

I'm assuming most normal cases will get their visas eventually, the question is when. In the meantime the applicant can pay rent in the US, find some place to live abroad and maybe continue working from overseas? All so the state department can retrain a few people?

> The moral issue is the same in both cases: there’s a big sign that says “temporary.” People have chosen to ignore the sign.

No. Your analogy works well solely for the concept of temporary authorization.

If you're offering up 2h parking as proof that the moral stakes are equivalent...

Do you think the moral issue is the same if someone fails to hold a door for you, or if they shoot you? It’s rude either way, right?

I don’t have words for it, but the US has been infected with some kind of hybrid reductionism / nihilism where people think that vicious bad behavior can be enjoyed and justified, even righteously glorified, if a disingenuous analogy can somehow be crafted to something banal and comparatively harmless.

Nobody actually believes it, but it’s become a game of sorts. I don’t like it.