  A large number of models have been analyzed in loop quantum cosmology, using
mainly minisuperspace constructions and perturbations. At the same time,
general physics principles from effective field theory and covariance have
often been ignored. A consistent introduction of these ingredients requires
substantial modifications of existing scenarios. As a consequence, none of the
broader claims made mainly by the Ashtekar school --- such as the genericness
of bounces with astonishingly semiclassical dynamics, robustness with respect
to quantization ambiguities, the realization of covariance, and the relevance
of certain technical results for potential observations --- hold up to
scrutiny. Several useful lessons for a sustainable version of quantum cosmology
can be drawn from this outcome.
