I hear you, John; that said, I use a leader or snap alot of the time if I'm fishing cranks or jerkbaits, because I change baits often until I feel I've figured out what's working, and I hate re-tying. Also, there are always pike where I fish, so the leader is pretty much a must.
I tie direct to the lure for topwater, where it doesn't make any difference to the action.