Are "Members Only" Repeaters Really Necessary?

I visit the St. Louis, MO area a few times a year since my brother lives there. He tells me that two of the ham radio clubs in the area have "members only" repeater systems. That is, you can't use the repeater unless you are a member of the club. If they don't recognize your callsign and you aren't on the club roster, you might get told to get off the repeater by a club member! In my opinion, this practice is totally wrong. I thought repeaters were there to be used by ALL radio amateurs. I know that having a "members only" repeater system is totally LEGAL, but it does nothing but alienate hams who are not club members and creates a "clique" atmosphere, none of which are beneficial to the ham radio community.
Some would think that the term "closed" repeater system means that it uses a PL tone to gain access. This is not what I am referring to. There are many repeaters with PL tones and this feature keeps other repeaters from keying up one that may be on the same frequency especially during tropo openings. There is NO problem with that. I am highly in favor of it. Repeaters that have PL tones are not really "closed" systems since most VHF/UHF rigs have PL in them anyway.
The excuse given for clubs who won't let non-members use them is that the repeaters cost money to install and maintain and that it should only be used by members who support it with their dues and contributions. My response to that is that if they did not intend for all hams to have access to it, then they should not have built it in the first place. It is going to be sitting there sucking electricity regardless of who uses it anyway. So what is the difference?
I feel sympathy for the new ham who just got his/her license and finds out that the local repeaters are closed to non-members. How do you think that makes him/her feel? Like an outcast! Would he/she feel compelled to join a club with a "members only" repeater system? I bet they would think twice about it, don't you? He or she would be thinking "What a bunch of stuck-up snobs!" If a radio club has any kind of conscience at all, it would not want that kind of label.
The exclusion of non-members in the use of a repeater system would be like having Thanksgiving dinner and telling your in-laws that they can't come because they are not blood relatives! That would certainly cause a family feud!
Lets say a ham has some kind of personal emergency on the road and his cell phone battery has died. He reaches for his dual band radio to call for help. Would he get "bad mouthed" for trying to use the "members only" repeater that is the only one he can reach? What then?
I really can't think of any reason why any club would need to have a "members only" repeater system. The chances that any ham would use the repeater wrongly are pretty close to slim and none. We are supposed to be a "family" of communicators. If we ex-communicate or shun non-club members, it pretty much defeats our purpose. Don't you think?
I'll be damned if I am going to let any radio club tell me that I can't use their repeater if I so choose. The airwaves do not belong to any certain group. They belong to ALL of us! I have been going to hamfests in the St. Louis area for many years and I have helped support the radio clubs with the money I spend on tickets and raffles as have many other hams. The radio clubs should at least show some kind of gratitude for that support to the general ham community by keeping their repeaters open to all hams, regardless if they are club members or not.