This thread has run it's course. Devs have made changes as they saw fit.
As such, I ask that the community to let this thread die, as there is currently no realistic or viable reason to discuss the topic further.
Many thanks to all who supported the change. To those who did not, I wish you the best in your endeavors.
In this game, for me, it's rarely personal. My motto has, for a very long time, been, "when you make it personal, you've already lost."
Let this thread take its place in lore wherever it ends up with that in mind.
In the end, it was the community, not myself who responded. That affected the change, not me, all of You.
~joe_ Order of the Fox