It is great to see everyone sharing lately!
I think that this kind of debate is good, to a point. Please remember what Cymryc said, these are rules changes that need to be changed by the owners and we at Seattle cannot just change something we do not like.
I know the Sarr restrictions may seem harsh and I think part of the issues there is the Sarr are a popular race to play, but it can be thought of as a challange. The rules were put in place I'm sure for both flavor and game balance and really they are not so bad. Now if some of you out there really want to see a change, then I suggest you write up an alternative way of doing racials. Now it is too late too late to submit it for the next book update, whiich by and large will not contain major changes like this, but when the next revision comes around you could submit it to Shane M. for approval and submission to the owners. It may seem like a lot of work and long wait, but if you feel that passionately about something, it's worth it, yes?
As for MWE's having to spend build on a skill... at least they can stop now at level 5!
So I don't want to stop discussion here, but let's try and make sure we don't start picking sides and trying to convince others to share the same opinion. It's okay to disagree, but I really would prefer to not see a flame war (not that I think that is going on, just trying to head trouble off at the pass! -It's good to be paranoid.)