I think alot of those failed assumptions are related to the fact that most people associate having alot of powers with being powerful. Having alot of powers -CAN- lead to power, but you have to compare those options to what other characters are capable of doing. I suspect we'll see alot of these assumptions in 4th edition as well, and we'll probably see alot of people just write the entire system off as 'munchkin' due to the greater amount of powers and such most characters seem like they'll be getting in comparison to earlier editions.