@emeditz I'm so sorry for the pain this process is causing. I 100% understand what you feel.
When I calculate all the taxes I've paid over my lifetime (and I have explicitly done this), I feel infuriated. I understand that the political situation is very tricky right now, and it's very unlikely congress will do much to improve immigration law. I also know that many people much less fortunate than me are suffering more intense hardships, but I feel that citizens certainly have the right to expect that their government will serve their requests promptly and efficiently.
I can't fathom any valid excuse for what we are experiencing. I suspect the reality is that these agencies are underfunded and under terribly uncreative leadership. Their perspective is likely that the pandemic shutdowns created a backlog, and at their current level of staffing, they can't catch up. I'm sure that is partially true, but I also hold the leadership at USCIS responsible for not updating their processes in the face of a historic backlog. It appears they are just attempting to keep following the same processes and hope they get more funding. I don't accept that approach. We deserve better. If they have honestly tried to improve efficiency and processes, I am stunned as to why they wouldn't have trumpeted it from the rooftops.
Sadly, in the current environment, I don't think we can expect anything to get better soon, but I do hope this experience inspires us to become more active and to speak up about these concerns. Though I have finally received my USCIS approval, I still face an unknown process forward as I try to get an appointment at the US consulate in Mexico, and on top of this unknown I face the constant reality that even at the last minute they could reject our petition. It's maddening and emotionally draining. I think it is very important that we take the time to write down our experiences and opinions and share them with our representatives, family, and friends. Though I don't think one letter will matter, hundreds of thousands might.