Again untrue, kids do not like all rides
I'd have to slightly disagree with this. I mean yes, every single kid isn't going to be interested in every single attraction, but you seem to be tending toward the group that thinks you absolutely need spinners/kiddie rides because it's the only things kids will go on. Perhaps you don't feel this way, but that's the impression I get. The thing is, when I look back on my many childhood visits to WDW, I don't really remember the spinners. I remember the dark rides, Small World, the shows and parades, Pirates, Tiki Room, the Mansion... Just a bit later I remember the Mountains and Alien Encounter and Time Keeper. I remember the truly "Disney" things, they're what made an impression and what I loved as a kid. I would hope that most kids would be the same, if not, I worry about what the next generation might be like. What will they appreciate if they can't appriciate these type of experiences?
Funny thing is you are the one that said that carpets are exactly the same as Dumbo. I say yes they are the same ride themed to different characters. Then I say that riding in a boat through the jungle cruise seeing robotic animals move is pretty much the same as riding in a boat an seeing pirates chase each other around... see same ride concept/different character.
When talking about cloning, there are many types that Disney has engaged in, and I feel some are more valid (creatively speaking) than others. The worst type is what I think of as "drag and drop". The entire on ride experience is just copied between parks, it's like an exact mirror. Some of these will have different queues, but the "main show" itself will be the same. Until recently this has been mostly reserved for film based attractions and spinners, though I hate to say that Country Bears was one of the earlier offenders when it was cloned for DL. A recent example is Midway Mania. I personally find this type of cloning to be either lazy Imagineering, or caving into the "I want it and I want it now!" demands from guests or management. This is the type of cloning that irks me the most, as there really isn't anything creative about it. For every ride that was cloned like this, there were probably dozens of unique concepts that were shelved, and the different resorts start to look more and more the same. It's alarming to me that larger, more prominent attractions are starting to get this treatment more often. I'm worried that Midway Mania may represent a turning point where everything is fair game.
The next category is what I think of as an evolution of a ride. In many attractions that were "cloned" to different resorts, significant changes to them were made. Maybe a scene or two was added or switched out, maybe newer, more impressive effects were added or the ride was lengthened or shortened. Maybe the only thing the same about two rides that share a name is the basic story concept. Some of these can be quite a radical evolution. You take something at the core of a classic ride, a strong theme or story element/device, or maybe a type of experience, and then essentially build a new attraction around it. Sometimes this can be seen as an homage to the previous attraction, like Phantom Manor or even Everest in a way, other times it's a complete departure that mixes in a lot of other concepts, sometimes from other rides entirely. This seems to be what's happening in Hong Kong with Big Grizzly Mountain and Mystic Manor. If you must clone an attraction, this is always my preferred method.
The final category is what you seem to be refering to here. You're equating rides that have the same or similar rides systems (really though, boat rides, log flumes, and the various different dark ride systems you alluded to are hardly similar to begin with) with the redressing of essentially the same spinner with different themes. To me, they are not equitable. Taking a useful ride system (EMVs, Omnimovers, simulators, the Test Track system, coasters) and building a completely new ride around it is something I don't really even consider cloning. It's just sensible and versatile ride designing. Why design an entirely new system when you have a tried and true one that achieves the exact effect you desire? It's the interaction of the ride system and the specially built surroundings that makes the attraction experience. Content is king here.
I would put Aladdin, or really any basic retheme of a common spinner, somewhere between the first two categories. I can't really call it a drag and drop, but dressing something up differently in a way that doesn't really change the essential experience can't constitute an evolution either. You're still spinning around looking at scenery that was not built specifically for the ride. I don't love this type of cloning, but it's hardly a new concept. If it weren't for it impeding a major pathway, creating another stroller pit from hell, and generally looking like a giant tacky hunk of plastic, I probably wouldn't have a big a problem with the Carpets. Though really, 3 (soon to be 4) very similar spinners in one park is a bit excessive, don't you think?