Greetings William:
Wow, sure enjoyed your post. I to was an Elder and disassociated myself when I read Raymond Franz two books and also witnessing so much in my area as an Elder. The part about the convention expenses the WT extracts sure hits home. As an elder, I got slapped down for questioning the exact arrangement you cited.
Have you read Ray Franz' two books? I just read some heartfelt excerpts to my wife and she came around in a month or so.