I wholeheartedly agree. We do need some sort of association to protect our interests as independents & end users. There have been multiple discussions on this site discussing the benefits of such but, unfortunately, in the end there seems to be no interest in forming such an organisation.

I have done exhausting research in the areas of associations, co-ops & such, and the first step in the process is recognizing the need for cooperation among competitors for the benefit of all.