check out previous discussions:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum82/HTML/000062.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum82/HTML/000095.html
Don't think there was any consensus other than diversity is good. One person's garbage is another person's gold
A higher tier might provide different benefits but perhaps the reality is there are not too many Star gold travelling the globe so all airlines are happy with the current arrangement--demands meet expectations/capacity?
[This message has been edited by BlondeBomber (edited 02-13-2001).]