from a native born american (usa)
I've lived all over the USA...when I first started flying into the New York airports, I thought I was in a different country.
American English has many flavors.
It is better to say things at a fine tempo (slowly) and get it right the first time, than to sound like a brooklyn machine gun and have to say: what, say again?!!!
Yes, the next mid air is coming towards us. A congressional investigation will follow...some of us have tried to wake up the government. Indeed, I've said it once and I will say it again. The next big accident is 30 years in the making.
1. 1977 deregulation, without improvements to infrastructure.
2. 1981, ATC strike and firing of controllers. ATC has never fully recovered, a mindset of technology over humans was initiated. Money spent to replace humans that might strike instead of money on infrastructure.
3. Circa 2000, Congress got rid of "slots" at airports...and overscheduling went wild.
Pushing too much tin leads to problems. I say , reregulate, limit landing slots at certain airports, do away with small jets that take up as much room as bigger jets, yet carry fewer people.
hire more people, treat them well and have them look out the damn window, get more ground radar (asde) or whatever and put some paint on the taxiways....follow orange line to runway 13right, follow blue line to gate A27. etc.