In article , "Carl R. Stevenson"
writes:

As to how "important" Morse is ... YMMV ... to some it is
the "be all and end all" of ham radio ... to others it is of no
importance whatsoever ... from the FCC's decisions, it's
clear that, while there was a time when Morse was important,
that time ended long ago and the FCC no longer views Morse
as important in terms of licensing requirements.

Carl:

The above statement can be objectively evaluated only in the
context of future ARRL initiatives and FCC actions regarding
amateur HF sub-band mode authorizations. Once code testing
is finally abolished in the US amateur licensing process, it will
be much easier to re-allocate more spectrum to phone modes, to
the detriment of CW -- and I rather suspect that's precisely what
will happen.

Those who believe that Morse testing should remain a requirement
forever will, for the most part, probably never change their minds,
but they are increasingly becoming a minority.

Unfortunately, this is true.

Furthermore, their
view, based more on "tradition" and "emotional attachment" thereto,
is not relevant in terms of what the license requirements should
reasonably be.

However, they will have no practical experience in Morse/CW upon
which to objectively base such an opinion. Therefore, the usage of
CW will be deferred to increased spectrum allocated to phone modes,
mainly for the purpose of selling more HF transceivers and other
station equipment, and memberships in the ARRL. And THAT, my
friend, is the real Joker in this particular deck of cards.

73 de Larry, K3LT