Non pass buyers aren't evil because they refuse to support the game, and pass buyers aren't evil for trumping broke people.
Non pass buyers can earn free passes and can make it to the top 50 in the General ranking, and then they can get the VIP account and continue to compete equally with those above their ranking. Pass buyer can buy the account and do basically the same thing.
Pass buyers pay for the game, yes, but luckily there's enough of them that I and my friends and many TBHers can play for free. We should be thanking every pass buyer we meet for paying our dues for us- they don't HAVE to, you know.
When the VIP account was announced on Howrse's wordpress blog, people in the comments inevitably said the same thing: "What about us non pass buyers?"
My mental reaction was always "What about you?"
A specialty account has to cost passes. Otherwise it wouldn't be a specialty account. You can get the Pegasus account without buying passes, and you can do the VIP without passes too, if you are dedicated and willing to work hard enough. You can be a top breeder without buying passes, you can be a top ranked player without buying passes, you can have a top EC without passes.... you can do anything a Pass buyer can do without passes. It takes more work is all.
You know you've earned everything you have if you're sitting pretty at number one as a non pass buyer. That says something about work ethic.
I just wanted to say that no kind of player is better than the other, and if we'd all work together, we could probably get a lot more done that we get by complaining because someone has something better than you do. ;)