many of the safety nets that were normally expected in aviation are now gone. blame ronald reagan and firing atc'ers...blame the FAA for shortening the course in becoming a controller.
blame the fact that in 1980, the majority of atc'ers had a private pilot license or better and had a feeling for the situation.
and yes, blame the pilots, who probably were never tested on runway line up and identification.
so many short cuts these days...save fuel, save money...but so rarely do we hear SAVE LIVES!