Hello dmccollam,
As mentioned by the others, built-in applications cannot be deleted at this time. The page limit is has also been the same since the APP Store was opened.
Yes, there are "thousands" of APPs available on the APP Store at this time - well over 10,000. However, even if the page limit was not there, how many APPs would you want to fit on an 8GB or 16GB iPhone? A substantial number of APPs also store their data on the iPhone as they are used over time, so they consume more space the more they are used. If you filled every page full of APPs, and used them frequently, it would eventually result in a lack of "elbow-room" for any APPs (built-in or not) to function normally as you consume all of the available space with 3rd party APP data. I've spoken with one individual who filled his 16GB iPhone with downloaded books using an APP Store app in less than 2 weeks...
You can submit a desired changes or feature requests directly to Apple via the Feedback webpage:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
As with any computer, if you don't leave the OS and APPs sufficient room to work in, you may encounter unexpected and unwanted issues sooner or later.
Charles H.