True, you never stated you were stating facts, as you can see above you did accuse me of only stating opinion with no supporting facts. Accordingly, I felt obliged to provide facts in support of my assertions.
As far as the decline in the number of Ham operators. I only point this out because in my experience most of the voices that proclaim the death of CB most loudly, come from the Ham community and it seems ironic that the community most vocal about the alleged decline in CB usage is itself the one that is actually declining. I was just pointing out a fact, not engaging in a dig. The decline in Hams is unfortunate since it is certainly a worthwhile hobby. It seems to be the a result of not enough young people / new adopters to replace the old. Since the license is good for 10 years, it appears that many of the older operators may have become deceased during their license period and so were not around to renew when the license expired.
For better or for worse, CB Radio is far from dead and is once again expanding. I have met some very nice operators here in the NY Metro area. Some run amps, but many are operating barefoot and are getting great performance because they did their due diligence and set up a proper antenna which of course, makes all the difference in the world. I regularly speak to a barefoot operator on City Island in the Bronx, from my truck parked in front of my office in Yonkers and he is clear as day. This is a distance of easily 7 miles as the crow flies and when one considers the number of obstructions and potential sources of electrical interference her in the NY metro area, such a contact is quite extraordinary. I still find CB useful for over the road trips and I welcome the renewed interest in the Band. In this world of abundant smart phones and social media, long may it last.