Actually, a more apt analogy would be "if you can't trust the car manufacturer for the car you buy..."  but I do understand your point and I agree - however, open communication carries a very significant risk (mitigated only by equally significant responsibility).  In cases such as the original thread - where responsibility is lacking - the risk sometimes becomes untenable.

I found Soepkip helpful and supportive in all of my communications with him, I found Iconic to be both fantastically enthusiastic and positive, while also divisively vitriolic (occasionally both in the same post).  Regardless of experience, business acumen, investment capital, etc. (or lack thereof) I will always go where the developer of a coin goes - or at least where the group he/they support most vocally goes.

That goes 10X for a dev that was as insightful and accurate as rat4 was in creating BC and it's specifications in the first place.  If I hadn't seen something that made me say "Holy crap, that's actually a really good approach" back in the beginning of February when I was shopping for a new mine & dump target... I'd have already moved on.

As it was I instead decided to mine to the end and then buy up as much as my BTC reserves would allow... best decision EVER!