Earwig, forgive me if I come across as nosey, but I am curious: when I downloaded the document you provided, I couldn't help but notice the file properties, so I simply must ask... are you THE Greg Bailey?
But, to continue on with the discussion, as much as Arthur has entertained me since I was a kid, and as much as I have enjoyed the series, I really do think it's passed time that it be laid to rest; like previously mentioned, you KNOW a series has been on for TOO long when they start repeating plots and stories (Bewitched became a really big offender of this in its final two or three seasons). I've also said before too, while we have had a number of genuinely good stories, there's been an awful lot that just come off as kind of tired, and short on ideas in general. It's like the old saying goes, somethings there can be too much of a good thing; The Simpsons is always compared to Arthur, and I know tons of people have actually been wanting to see that show come to an end for sometime now as well. Similarly, Seth MacFarlane is actually desperately wanting to end Family Guy, but FOX won't let him (lesson learned there: always retain the rights to your own work), and it seems like a number of people have been complaining that FG isn't good anymore either... it's always kind of a good idea to conclude a series while it's still popular with viewers (The Muppet Show or M*A*S*H, for example) so that it can go out on a high note, as opposed to going on to the point where people are so sick of it that when it does finally conclude, it does so with very little fanfare.