Bob:

A fuel solenoid should always be closed when not energised, but I've seen a couple of the failed and airplanes getting hot starts because of that. A lot of people forget to close the fuel shutoff valve (It has happened many times to me....) and in that case, the only protection you have against flooding is the solenoid. Problem is when the solenoid gets stuck or something is not allowing it to completely close. As you said, the fuel stations that we are using to refuel our jets are powerful enough to move the fuel pump. Fuel will start moving to the turbine and you will have a massive hot start.

I agree that solenoids can be another point of failure, but it is another safety element that I would never take it out of my planes. The upsides are bigger than the downsides.... specially when you are talking about some of the bigger and more expensive jets.