I share all of your thoughts. To answer a question that was not directed at me, I play (and continue to play) because I paid for the game. Why should I quit and let the cheaters win?
I too am of the sentiment that EA needs to be shamed into taking action. That haven't seemed to have gotten the message though since I just got a $70 card pack offer. Hmmmm....no thanks EA. Shift some of your sales and marketing dollars over to the technical folks who can actually fix the game.
Finally, I have been playing the game less and less as it just isn't fun fighting a losing battle all the time. If anything, the hackers have woken me up to the amount of time I have wasted on SC.