Without the vocal minorities (not just on this one issue, but all issues) where would HTC get input for game updates? How do they know what players want if players don't speak up? I agree with you that the majority of AH players do NOT post on this board. However, every player has the option to do so. It's kinda the same way in the US for politics. Every US citizen has the right to vote (unless the right is revoked), yet not every citizen does vote. It's not the exact same, as the majority of Americans vote, but the principle is still the same. If citizens didn't vote, or didn't lobby, the government wouldn't know what we wanted (not like they always do what we want, but that's a different argument!)
These forums are here for us to share our ideas with each other, and in every case, there will be disagreement. These forums are also used by HTC to see where are interests are and what we think about the current situations.
As for the vocal minority comment, most polls are conducted that way. Gallop (for example) polls maybe 1000 people (out of 250 million!) and use that as a rough gauge of national interest. Think of the people who post on this board as a poll. We are only a percentage of the AH player base, however we are used as HTC's gauge for a rough estimate of what the AH player base wants, thinks is good/bad, etc. BTW, it's like this in other games too. Developers use forums to get feedback from gamers. Ultima Online has well over 100,000 active players. Their forums maybe have 1000 active posters, less than 1% of active players. Origin uses those forums to get feedback on ideas, and believe me, the "vocal minority" HAS influenced changes.
Sorry this got so long, and it's not intended as a flame. It's just intended to show, IMO, that these forums (and this thread) are being used as intended.