As far as the problems you see with alt-coins, well... I tend to agree. Which is why I think alts are a foolish distraction. Just ignore them
I agree both with you and OP on this point
Long-term investment is altcoins could be and in many if not most cases is close to suicidal. If you are in for quick profits and go for wool, get ready to come back shorn at the end of the day. Other than that, altcoins can be quite useful. For example, when Chinese exchange froze Bitcoin withdrawals some folks still managed to withdraw their funds via altcoins. The transaction fees of most altcoins are substantially lower as well as confirmation times are shorter so they can be helpful to transfer value instead of Bitcoin
Only as long as you are the king of the jungle