Remathilis
Legend
The way this opening post is phrased is like someone trying to convice WOTC to change the plan and make these changes before time runs out. Time has already run out. The PHB is off to the printer.
Feats, for instance. You claim that they are 'treating feats like variant rules'. Guess what? That's exactly what they are in this edition. But they'll be there in the PHB for easy and available use. Go ahead and use them. Or do you turn up your nose at them and refuse to use them because they are listed as a 'variant rule'?
I agree with a few of the listed desired changes, but most are fine by me as they are. You can play that version of D&D that you want by houseruling those changes. It's not gonna be in the PHB that way, but you can still play it that way.
That is a problem I'm seeing with the Basic Rules in PDF form: some people are treating it as another playtest packet that they can convince WotC to fix in a month or so. I just don't see that.
At most, you'll see some clarification in the form of a FAQ some time before Christmas. It won't change rules, but it might clarify ambiguity (see short rests, multiple). That said, I suspect the rules are what they are. We can't edit the PHB, the MM is 99.9% done, and the DMG is mostly going through the editing and formatting stages by now. I don't think changes to the rules are an option anymore.
To OP's list though: some of those are fine house rules. Some of those are just belly-aches. There are some choices I'd have made differently too, but it is what it is.