You're not forced to purchase anything, you know? Do whatever suits your particular needs and situation. I'm enjoying the Cloud. It works out well for me & my situation. But I understand it's not for everyone.
The disparity between Cloud upgrades and Licensed upgrades has less to do with Adobe and everything to do with a legal accounting requirement here in the United States called the Sarbox Act(aka the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002).
In short, if you subscribe to the Cloud, you are eligible for both minor and major software upgrades as soon as they are available because you're paying for them month-to-month. If you quit paying for the Cloud, your Cloud software will cease to work. End of story.
If you purchase a stand-alone license for CS6, you own it forever. You are not eligible for major software upgrades until you buy another license at the next upgrade cycle (CS7). That's how it works for pretty much all licensed software worldwide.
So do what you will. Either pay by subscription or pay one time every upgrade cycle. It's your choice.
Nancy O.