My understanding is that Counterparty is functioning, right now, using Bitcoin as a transport layer. In order to do so, it must be using existing, accepted features of Bitcoin.
It is abusing a bitcoin feature in an unintended, unaccepted way that obviously impacts the network to its detriment.
How is it abuse? The dev's included the feature in Bitcoin to add 80 bytes of data. People can use that feature however they want if its their. And Counterparty & Mastercoin do not intend to abuse it.
Now you want to remove 80 bytes, why did you introduce the feature at all? Reading your posts, seems like you have been hostile towards Counterparty from the start.
You ARE restricting innovation on the Bitcoin blockchain, and this is going to push these innovations onto competing blockchains instead of promoting different use cases of the Bitcoin blockchain.
If there are problems underlying abuse cases, you should handle that, but not by restricting access to the blockchain for projects trying to add more functionality into Bitcoin.
I would like to know your opinion Jeff, what is your ideal solution for Counterparty to use the Bitcoin blockchain? vs 80 bytes of OP_RETURN