Doppy said:

"Right now I fly in first whenever I want to; take away FF programs and I'd always be in coach."

Not necessarily so, Doppy. Before all this mileage and FF programs, each airline had its own way of dealing with its best customers. In the seventies, I was an up-and-down the East Coast steady customer of Eastern Airlines and was given the status of "Executive Traveler." There weren't all that many ET's and I never failed to be upgraded to FC for service that was more like FC service than it is now.
Waitlists? Forget it. All I had to do was show my Brown ET card and I was immediately moved to the front of every line. And every EA employee knew how to treat an ET.

To quote JoeB:

"By the way, ending the reward programs would force up the airlines to concentrate on recognition plans that offer upgrades and other perks that frequent flyers really want."

Joe is right. If we got rid of all this FF program mileage and reward nonsense and let the airline companies concentrate on perks and privileges for their best customers, it would be easier to get the upgrade, the seat on the soldout flight, the complimentary club membership, and the recognition of who you are every step of the way when you walk into the airport.
How many of us who slog around for business really need a free flight as a reward? Better just make sure we get the FC seat on the way home in the evening after a tough day on the job out of town.