I want an official response.

[polyphonica]

by your logic we should get all of the premium stations when we pay for our cable or sattelite service.
your cable and sattelite services offer optional pay per view do you complain about those too?

Or perhaps more to the point given the analogies they've used for this game... when you buy a pass to enter a theme park, all the souvenir shops, concession stands, mini-games, and commemorative photo packages should be included in the price you pay, and not just the rides/attractions. Theme Parks have been playing the "optional add-on" game forever.

Basically the whole argument comes down to the perception of greediness, and the concept of value for money spent. People are willing to pay through the nose for a day at a theme park plus all sorts of "optional services" because it's a special event. Or they'll go to a theatre, and pay the ticket price + add-ons (3D, IMAX, pre-selected seating) + over-priced concessions because it's a date night, or whatever. The value-per-dollar people get out of an MMO subscription is way higher (50 cents per day?), but there's still a perception issue with having add-ons on top of that. But it seems that the market has been shifting slowly, because a lot of people would be willing to pay more than $15/month for something that's their primary form of entertainment, but nobody wants to actually be the one to pull the trigger and raise that price due to "sticker shock".