WTH Wednesday...Where have all the original windows gone?

Yes, step right up folks and take a gander at one of the most common offenses marring our fair city's landscape--the retrofitted windows. I have just gotta say: "WTH?!"

Recognize me? Conveniently located adjacent to one of my ALL-TIME Top 10 architectural (and financial!) WTH's

What imbecile cooked up this ubiquitous "solution"?
I know Indiana Landmarks put Historic Windows on their 10 most endangered list this year, and easy to see why...

(Unfortunately the Landmarks site doesn't allow you to link directly to their articles, so just click on the far right side under quick links, where it says "10 Most Endangered Landmarks" and then scroll down to their 2010 list--3rd on the list is Historic Windows, and they've done a far better job than could I in describing their importance, starting with:

'According to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, windows are “character-defining features” critical to the appearance of historic buildings, but original windows are being replaced at an alarming rate.' )

I know there are some very dear Freemasons who follow this blog, yet still, their headquarters look appalling from the outside with all the windows blocked out and it breaks my heart. If eyes are the window to the soul of a person, I believe windows are the eyes to the soul of a building, and in both these instances, it is disgraceful. The Old City Hall and countless other buildings have suffered a similar fate...
I anticipate hasty and emphatic responses citing convenience, heat bills, comfort and the like, excusing these actions, but I disagree. I believe issues such as these are precisely where the world is misguided these days.

Under this same guise, people use the same rationale to dress like vagrants, eat like every supper is their last and disregard every shred of manners, decorum and decency and I just have to ask: where do we draw the line?