OK - I can admit to being wrong. You sound like you know more about this subject than I do. I've just always assumed DVC resorts were kept up with the same money as other resorts.
Why does more housekeeping have to equal higher dues though? Obviously, yes, they have to pay for that service, but why can't it be part of the cost of DVC? It's certainly not as if DVC is inexpensive, and that's the reason there is no housekeeping.
When you buy into DVC, that payment covers the cost of building the resort, the cost of running the DVC program (such as the sales agents, the kiosks, and the vans) and a (I am sure nice) chunk of profit for Disney.
Your dues then cover ALL of the costs that are associated with running and maintaining that resort. Landscaping, pest control, front desk services, painting, new roofs, housekeeping, etc. All of that gets added up, and spread over the number of points that are out there. If you want daily housekeeping as a "Standard" item then it is going to cost more for housekeeping, and it will be reflected in the dues. Here is an easy example. You know how they have games at the pool where they give away prizes? Those prizes are itemized in the annual statement. It is something like a $5,000 a year budget for them if I recall. It amounts to pennies for me, but I am still charged for it. If they started giving away a free car to guests, that budget would be a lot more, and my dues would go up accordingly.
Think of it as buying a new condo. When you buy the condo you are paying the builder, you are also covering the cost of the realator, advertising, etc.
That is equivalent to the buy-in cost at DVC
Then you have monthly maintence at a condo. The condo board does not make money off of those payments. They use them for snow removal, upkeep, grounds keeping, security, etc. If you go to the condo board and convince them that they should plant the public areas with massive flower beds, your monthly maintainance is going to go up accordingly. That is the same as with your DVC dues.
DVC is actualy an entirely seperate company than the resorts. In cases where we are co-loacted in a resort and share services, such as Wilderness Lodge there is a cross billing. They keep trackf for example of hom many guests are checked into "normal" rooms and how many are in DVC rooms. The DVC then sends a payment to WDW Resorts for the portion of Front Desk Services that we used. Same goes for landscaping, pools, etc. In cases like SSR it is a bit easier because everything there is a DVC cost.
-dave