I really hate to post again.. but. I think you all are looking at this the wrong way. You seem to think that mining has nurfed smiths skills.. When in fact it enhances them, and I would like to bring up the point Ms. Namine Pointed out in her first post. Every class has useless skills, Just because my Stalker has 'Detoxify' Doesn't mean I have to use it, if you invest skill points in a "Bad" Skill thats all about you.
Sorry Rhino if I didn't understand this properly, but I'm pretty sure your just looking for a way to buff an other wise not useful skill.