Jimmy-
Part of the reason wiki works so well is that it isn't a process of "o.k., you've earned trust, now here's your privileges", but rather a process of "here's your privileges, now earn trust".
What about people who have violated the trust which they have earned before they requested sysop access? What about people who have violated our rules? Would you grant sysop status to a suspected Lir incarnation, even if dozens of people protested against doing so? I don't think we can ignore a user's track record when handing out sysop access.
Regards,
Erik