I'm not against a bit of a melee boost for Red Mage, however with that in mind remember we're mages first, and everything else second.
What the hell does this even mean. What kind of mage are we? Are we a support mage? a healer? a nuker? if we can be all those is it that far fetched we could also be a melee. I mean we do have 2 melee skills that are both higher than 2 of our magic skills. What kind of mage are we???

I play (and invite) RDM because it is a gap filler /SCH it can slide around the back line in various disciplines, /NIN it can be an effective support mage/melee.

- Well on paper at least with SE limiting enhancements Ill bring a BRD/RDM (or /WHM if we need the extra -nas) because RDM as a support job is just not worth the party slot, and as such it makes no sense to have a RDM come just as a DD, or just as a Healer, or just as a Nuker when there are jobs that preform those roles better than a RDM. Until SE address the enhancement and enfeebling issues RDM will have no identity because it is not a Healing Mage, it is not a Nuking Mage, and it is not a Melee. It is a Support Mage that uses several secondary skills to fill gaps, a support mage, with a limited ability to support.