Indeed, Pace. I'm not in any way decrying the few who can use light aircraft for serious transport - what I'm saying is that in UK at least they are a few and not really representative of mainstream GA; it's very expensive and requires commitment to achieve it and constant use to stay sharp. Such a pilot is pretty much a self-employed self-financing airline pilot, with a day job as well!
Most GA folk don't or can't do this. The trick is, find your niche, whatever it is, and try to avoid the hired-172-for-the-plough-around-the-local-patch syndrome. That way lies giving up flying for most PPLs!
To bring this back to Chuck's original point, most of the nicest aeroplanes to fly, the ones that offer the basic PPL the most bangs per buck, are tailwheel and handle well. But the current flying school scene doesn't offer a taste of that like it used to. So we lose a loads of PPLs who go away bored of the school hack to the £150 cup of coffee (probably more like £250 these days)!