Holding back progress in the name of the state
Progress in many areas has stalled; it has run into the wall of the state. Progress has been thwarted by the progress-hating "progressives" as much as by the progress-suspicious "conservatives".
For example: transportation. Instead of our average speed of travel getting faster, as it always has, the state has erected "speed limits" and barriers to new technology. Of course it has done so in the name of "safety".
Human modes of travel have also constantly allowed us to bring more and more "stuff" along for the ride. This has been a huge boon for individual freedom. Until, once again, the state has decided to short-circuit this natural progression.
People were originally walkers and runners. I'm sure the early authoritarian mental-defectives were constantly saying to their peers "Walk; don't run". From being able to bring along only what they could carry in their own two hands, they quickly discovered the advantage of pouches and baskets. Then humans began to ride animals who could run faster and carry more stuff than they could by themselves. Later, humans built vehicles so they could use more animals and carry even more stuff and still maintain their speed. Progress in the area of speed stalled until humanity could get past the natural speed limit imposed by the physiology of the animals themselves. Finally, when mechanical vehicles were invented our average speed began increasing again. With each year it went up, along with the amount of stuff we could carry.
Until this all began to scare the control freaks. Then they started passing "laws" so that they could have their enforcers waylay travelers for no reason other than going faster than the authoritarians would like. Now they are attempting to limit the size and power of our vehicles as well; reducing again the amount of things we can carry. Progress in speed and carrying capacity are reserved for agents of the state. "Laws" even attempt to control what we can travel with. Pharmaceuticals and weaponry being the two main targets, although animals, currency, and anything else that strikes fear into the minions of the state can be targeted as well.
How long will humans put up with these artificial constraints on progress? I don't know, although I would guess that pressure will build until something breaks. Since the state is the force attempting to hold back the flood, the state is what will be crushed by its own short-sighted meddling. Good riddance to an obsolete relic that should have been buried long ago.
