Matter of mechanics ....

[emaxos]

I retract part of my statement. Good umpires are noticed and discussed AND APPRECIATED.

However,
I really don't care what organization one belongs to or what other problems it may cause; if there's a bad apple that reflects negatively on my profession, I want him gone.

I'm not patting myself on the back here but I spend hours on this and other boards learning everything I can about the game and especially what you deal with. I very often tell spectators to shut up until they learn the rules and, while announcing games, I explain certain situational rules to help the fans understand.
I know there's a umpire shortage and I know it's largely caused because of the abuse you take but that does not justify keeping anyone that can't or won't perform their job properly.
That does not include rookies that are learning.