Clear becoming a little muddy?

In an earlier post I discussed the advantages of using the Clear card for expedited TSA security screening at a number of airports. Unfortunately they have recently downgraded their service, as they no longer use their shoe scanners, which allowed you to keep shoes on through the detector portal.

This means now that the Clear card has just become a paid way to go to the head of the line at security. As the screening that you now undergo is exactly the same as any other passenger, I wonder why they cannot reduce their $99 fee, by removing the TSA pre-screening. I heard that the latter costs about $28, but seems unnecessary now.

Of course, the Clear card is still useful for having a predictable time at security, but it would be nice if they could make it a little cheaper. Or allow the pre-screening to mean something, e.g. leave your shoes on, or leave the laptop in the bag.