Howdy Hossfly-
1. It would be hard to make MA competitive unless you eliminate all the various categories of model flying and do away with the technical stuff, all of which is not covered in the catalogue type rags. Unfortunately, you would probably lose an awful lot of members who fly other types of models. RC ain't the only type of flying that is done.
2. AMA tries to use available media but the actual work must be done by the various clubs and generally, they just don't do a good job of it. So it's up to the clubs to do it. Motivate the clubs and you will have it. Just try and get members off their butts to volunteer time! Sure.

3. Good idea, but how? The number of flyers, thus members, is always in a state of flux and will always go up and down as do all associations.

4. In this suit happy society we have it is hard to get any insurance, much less negotiate better terms. Believe me, I've been there and done that and it don't work at all. How do you negotiate with any insurance company that tells you they don't want your account and there only two or three others out there that will insure this type of program?
As Shakespeare said several hundred years ago: "First, let's kill all the lawyers."
Personally, I don't want to see anyone, ever, injured, and think that the safety regs are what anyone would want and in fact they are generally taken from restrictions the average club enforce. Some are tougher than any of the AMA rules.
AMA needs ideas and input from all of us but they cannot afford to hire personnel to do the things that we would like done and it is up to us not only as individuals but clubs to get those things done on a volunteer basis.
Your ideas are all good and correct, but I don't know how we can get them done.

3dbob