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I think one of the reasons I feel this way is because writers vote for it, and it was basically started by them.
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Actually the writers didn't start it. It was created to coincide with the Faux 100th anniversary of the invention of baseball. It was also created out of the down time and need to create market buzz for the game and Cooperstown. Up until the early thirties baseball didn't spend too much time thinking about the past or what was going on prior to the 1900's.
Around this time more name players started to die and older folks longing for the simpler days of their youth started asking what has become of..... and things like that. Thus we have the Hall of Fame.
The voting for players has a long and soiled history, one that involves as much cronyism from baseball executives and old timers then stupid grandstand moves like the Chicago writer made this week. In fact the writers haven't always had a say at all about who gets in.
The election process is a mess, and Bill James attacks that in Politics of Glory, but it doesn't take away what a great place the HOF is. I've been there and it was great, and I plan on going back. Plus the back end of the place hold a plethora of stuff that any baseball historian would die to get their hands on. And they can if they ask.