It would be a shame to close this thread after so much time and discussion has gone into this topic. With any topic there will always be a differing opinion, but it doesn't mean it isn't a useful or helpful discussion. In fact where there are many opinions being voiced in on any given topics, that means quite the opposite actually at least in my experience. Some won't be expressed in a manner some would wish, but each is useful in its own right. There is a lot of useful and thought out content within this thread from people who have contributed to this discussion.
I really hope you reconsider.