Why is ranked still so out of touch?

I'll preface this thought by saying I'm the first person to critique myself when it comes to gameplay. I'm not the best player in the game and I have a rough understanding of where my skill peak is right now. I also know that it's completely possible to win games from behind, 4v5's, etc. That being said...

Why are we still being punished (dramatically, I'll add) when we lose games because of AFKs or DC's? This is a conversation we've had over and over and there's still not been any real changes from Riot. People have literally been barking up this tree for what feels like the beginning of the game. People AFK for all sorts of reasons, whether they be real life related or you're just sick of the game. Maybe you're sick of getting flamed. Regardless of the circumstance, it seems counter-intuitive for a company to punish players who adamantly work at a game and lose because of an uncontrollable circumstance. Additionally, following logic, if players are supposedly playing other people at a relative skill level (some would argue otherwise), then there is no logical way for a group of 4 people playing against a group of 5 people, all at the same relative skill level, to make up for that missing person.

Not to mention, lets say you dc because of a family emergency. Then, your team starts the famous "blame game". This in turn leads to more flaming, and unless you've acquired a significant lead, everyone knows they're likely to lose. There are obviously exceptions to this (as there are to everything). Generally, AFK'ing leads to flaming. And as Riot so kindly points out in their loading screen tips, flaming most often results in losses.

We all know that isn't the case and there are varying degrees of skill levels within leagues/divisions. I'll stop here for now. I don't think this will get much traction anyways. Topics like these never have, but can't blame a guy for trying.