Ripple is in BETA, it is subject to change, let's not get the pitchforks just yet!
They have already stated their intention not to change this particular aspect of Ripple so criticizing it is appropriate.
I'm pretty sure most people don't grasp what Ripple is. It's not money in the sense that BTC is money. It is not a store of wealth at all. Their is really no point in speculating in XRPs. That's not what it's for.
If there's no point in speculating in XRPs then why is that OpenCoin's business model?