"Streamlining" Runes at the cost of depth?

The proposed rune changes strike me as an example of "streamlining"--the developer euphemism for dumbing down a game so it's more appealing to less intelligent people with shorter attention spans. (See Deus Ex 2, Dragon Age 2 and, yes, Mass Effect 2 for some other examples.) This comes at the cost of complexity, diversity, and specifically for League, balance.

Once again, if it ain't broken, don't break it. The only legitimate gripe I've heard about the current rune system is cost. But will these changes really bring new players to the game? Will it make life easier for the newbies? Let's face it: with 110 champions to learn, this will always be an oppressive game for beginners--and runes don't make much difference to beginners anyway. The proposed changes will punish novelty and creativity, and benefit none but the casual player.