BP,
Your situation may work for your unit, but in my view is not the ideal. The BSA system is a great one, and one that has worked for over a century. I don't think picking and choosing which section of the manuals we choose to enforce is a model I want to follow. Each scout unit has a personality, as does each committee. So what works for your unit may not work for another, just based on personalities alone.
While you say "it's NOT a matter of power", in fact quite often it is. I've seen it. Just saying it's not doesn't make it that way. At the end of the day, find what works for