For me it is not a money issue. Now, I have never competed but was planning to get my feet wet this year as time allowed, However I can guarantee I will not spend a red cent toward competing if I am charged additional fees because i am not a member of the "club". From what I have been reading here is sounds to me like KCBS is in disarray. I have to say, only from what I have read here leads me to believe that KCBS is more worried about increasing revenue than recruiting members. There are plenty of other comps out there to enter that dont appear to have all of the politics tied to it.
Actually it is really quit sad, I would love to be active in the sport/hobby and had been thinking about joining the KCBS, but I refuse to feed someones greed to do it. Just my .02 and I may be totally off base.