The fact is that casuals are the bulk of the playerbase and "hardcore" players simply would not have a game to play if the game's design separated mmo players into winners and losers. The point of a MMO is progression, and intelligent game designers realize that the bulk of their playerbase needs a method of progression, even if it's not the glorious raid content they would prefer. So basically, suck it up. "Welfare epics" were a genius idea that is keeping the game alive with a decent playerbase. The selfish attitude is not only obnoxious, but self-defeating. Without the casuals and their tome items, you would have nothing at all.