I had a response written out, but took a step back to see what other people had to say. You've pretty much summed up what I had to say in fewer words. I absolute deplore the parent comment, which is the typical response to these kinds of "hacks". While they're not ideal to actually solve the problem, they may mitigate the symptoms until they can solve the root cause. To each their own, and what works for one will not work for another. Keep on keeping on.