Yeah, the mods do the best they can. They definitely don't deserve criticism for their unpaid efforts.
Not much you can do to truly eliminate internet spam these days. Face it, there's just a lot of people out there who truly suck.
I think you just need to be patient, CC, and try not to let it bother you. Usually, the spam threads are easy to spot, and you can always just NOT click on them. I understand you frustration though.