If the local Dunkin Donuts was run by great guys but had a problem with the coffee pots breaking down whenever there was a crowd of people, the end result being that most didn't get their coffee, I do NOT think that it is out of line to discuss with those guys the various possibilities of repairing or replacing their coffee makers.
Your “coffee pots breaking down whenever there was a crowd of people” metaphor doesn’t work.
From the Free Republic Home page...
“We’re currently delivering over thirty million pageviews per month to over one million visitors.”
http://www.freerepublic.com/home.htm
And since they run the coffee/donut place, I’d say they know best for their own place. More activity w/anything, and a break is to be expected. Of course, being a local there somehow makes some feel like it’s their right to suggest a better way. Control.