Those who live in houses made of RPG pub credits shouldn't cast stones.

" Anyone who writes is a writer"

In the sense that a three year old with some watercolors is a painter sure.

I remain torn.

Yes, a vast majority of self-published books are terrible. No argument there.

But I'm not entirely convinced that editors are the only answer. To my knowledge, Shakespeare didn't have an editor. Did Mark Twain? The role of the editor is a relatively modern notion, isn't it? Maybe I'm wrong, but I had the impression that most writers used to succeed (or not) based almost solely on their own writing and story-telling ability.

So, yes, an editor may be one source of help for some writers. But it may constrain other writers. A good editor might help a writer clarify their writing, but a bad editor may hurt a writer by dumbing down an engaging idea in a misguided attempt to make it more palatable to a wider audience. Honing their writing skills and learning to be more objective critics of their own writing may be just as helpful as an editor.