Now, I know i never invite SMNs anymore as "Gimp healers", i invite them as a DD, and while it may not be much, a SMN who is meleeing with their pet is doing more damage than a SMN who isn't meleeing, assuming they're both of equal intelligence and gear, using proper macros.

So, as a SMN-DD Standpoint, Meleeing with your pet is better than not. little in this game severely needs you to limit their TP, but of course, Situational sh*t is situational, Meleeing wont always be the best way, but for your run-of-the-mill Exp parties, and NMs without devastating AoEs, its actually better.
Pretty much how I feel. I do think SM can be played many different ways and all of them can be useful. That siad, the SMN has a wide range of tools at its disposal and it's shortsighted at best to just declare one playstyle the best and anything else is gimp, which is what Dallas does.

I can't be bothered if you don't have any ideas.
Can't be bothered to what? And I do have ideas. But I don't post them in your presence because it will just turn into a thread about how great you are and how you're right and everyone else except you and people who directly follow your philosophy is wrong. I talk about how I use merit pacts on this one NM, you say nothing useful and just say "oh that's gimp, you're gimping yourself if u don't melee it with DD atma." You're so blinded by how awesome you think you are that you can't consider that there are other ways of doing things.

I just don't want new SMNs out there to think this is the gospel (as Dallas is preaching it as to be) and end up creating more havoc than harmony.
+1. It's a strong and useful tool, but we shouldn't be making out anyone who doesn't practice it to be poor players.