Small town favoritism can absolutely be a huge deal. It can lock good people out of work just because they aren't from the right family or didn't go to school with the inspector. A state system with clear rules stops that "who you know" stuff dead in its tracks. Sure, you lose some local knowledge, but you gain fairness for everyone trying to get a permit or start a business. That trade-off is worth it to keep things honest.

Still have a flip phone for work calls, and my niece asked if it was a toy calculator.

No kidding! @brown.emery is right, those cameras are game changers. I used one last week on a simple house call for a flickering light. Instead of pulling apart the whole fixture, I just scanned the junction box. Found a warm neutral splice in seconds that was just starting to go bad. It's wild how fast you can spot trouble before it turns into a real problem. That old poke-and-hope method feels like the dark ages now.