Just to clarify my position here a bit. I am not saying that DnD is the model of elegance and all other games are poor comparisons.
Good grief, that's not true.
I was simply taking exception to some of the exampled ineligancies. For example the HD=CR=LA. There's simply no way to do it.
If HD was the yardstick, that would mean that all creatures of a given hit dice would have to be equivalent challenges to the party. This would mean that creatures of a given HD would have to all be the same. Within a given CR, you can have a high AC, low damage output creature and a low AC high damage creature. As a challenge to the party, they are roughly equivalent. But, the only way to do this is to fiddle with the hit dice.
If both creatures had the same hit dice, they would not be equivalent challenges. Never mind adding in things like DR, SR and other traits as well.
As was mentioned, elegant has to work. A rule which requires individual interpretation by the DM is not elegant. It's simple, that's true, but it's not elegant.
Simple =/= elegant. As Treebore said, elegant has to get the job done. In a situation where it is a complex issue, then the rule will need to be complex enough to resolve the issue.
For example, if I made a rule that all fighters hit 50% of the time, that would be extremely simple. Flip a coin and you can attack. No modifiers other than what your DM allows. That's simple. It's about as elegant as a pregnant water buffalo. There are just far too many unanswered questions. As a mechanic, it simply doesn't work. It could work if the DM was on the ball enough to make it work, but, that's the point.
You shouldn't have to make elegant rules work. If a rule is elegant, it should work all on its own.
The length of a piece of string? No. An initial and cursory unfurling of the twine? Yes. 
Such is a polite way to converse upon the boards here as evidenced by other people on this thread who share your opinion but have articulated their reasons well.
