I don't know why people still complain about the update times on this game. I used to be a patron, years ago, and eventually I ran the numbers and decided I wasn't happy spending money on it anymore. Since then the gaps between updates have only gotten larger, and so it can be assumed anyone who continues contributing is consciously making the decision that they're happy with the pace of development.
If you're not happy with it, just from a principle or project management point-of-view, that's fair enough, but I don't think it's milking -- if the update released tomorrow those people would still be donating, so the idea that the update is being slow-walked to get more cash doesn't really hold water.
Realistically, at this point one of the only scenarios I can envisage in which there are mass patron dropouts (i.e. on a large enough scale that DC has to specifically do something to stop it from happening) is if, after finishing SS, he announces a new game that doesn't appeal to his current base (e.g. I can imagine a game with no incest would bomb his sub count). However, looking at it that would be 5+ years away and, given the number of times DC has spoken about testing things out for his post-SS game, I assume he's already taken that into account.
tl;dr: surely it's only milking if releasing an update "early" would cause people to cancel their subs. tbh, it would probably increase them.
ICSTOR just has no stickability, that's a separate issue that people have been telling him about for years but he never accepted until Milfy City