A new rule is:
1. Proposed -> 2. Accepted/Rejected -> 3. Timeline - from when? -> 4. Enforced.
The issue on gates is only up to stage 2. Bulgaria/Romania didn't become part of the EU from the day they were Accepted. A timeline was set and they have now become members.
In the real world, law-abiding citizens will continue to "break" new rules until they take effect. This is because the current set of rules allows so. Gate hoarding therefore is currently a strategy which would become "illegal" in due course but not now.
And your point is Pacific? This is gate hogging; he still holds on those gates, protecting his hub - making those gates unavailable to other players.
Therefore the point is, people will play by the current set of rules. Making those gates unavailable to other players, thus protecting the hub is a very effective way to reach the top indeed. For once, I actually agree with Bananaboy (omg?) - PLANNING!
I'm venting my frustration a bit because one of my friends decided to take the "moral high ground". What did he get? A competitor took advantage of the available gates, setting up a 15-gate operation within a matter of 2 hours. Ironically, that certain competitor is you.
AE is based on the capitalist free market system. In other words, dog eat dog. Ruthless competition, undercutting, etc, and your action is a great proof that the virtual AE world works in the same way!
We should all stop being kids and accept the world is not fair and trying to be "nice and fair" only results in others taking advantage of the "nice" person. We can make some changes to make it "fairer" but human nature dictates such change to be through authoritarian, rather than voluntary means.
So until we have "state intervention", let the ball of capitalism roll!