Without quoting a whole bunch of folks, I'll just do my ramble.
Yes, everyone has to start sort of even in the beginning of their arena careers, but keep in mind that as of the past month or so the price for entering an arena has sky rocketed. From less then 100 gold in some novice arenas to 500 for all novice scraps. (Whether this is good or bad, I'm not judging, it is, however a fact.) Ditto for the regular arena. I've stopped playing, too rich for my blood.
Yes, gear is expensive, and there is A LOT more of it floating around then there was previously. I used to snag items off the guild store to try and pound on my fellow arena-ites with, but that doesn't quite cut it now. Also, there is that pesky storage problem when you do get your own gear.
The good thing is, there are adequate levels for everyone to tackle.
And yes, the arena has absorbed enough time. Judging from the posts, no one is going to change anyone else's mind on the arena viewpoints. So lets move on the next item on the roadmap.