I paid LJ because I liked getting copies of my comments mailed to myself. Made it easier to search my email account to figure out which post I was trying to remember. I also like being able to create polls even if I don't do so very often (and I didn't want to subject others to looking at ads). Besides, I really like LJ and don't want them to go broke and disappear. Here's the chart listing the various features at each service level: http://www.livejournal.com/site/accounts.bml
I agree that the current trend is for the intolerant to rise to power but I hope that that trend shifts back to the middle.