Gerald Sylvester wrote:

snip

do you consider taking friends and family into
hard IMC that risky. I wouldn't take friends and family without another
pilot on a flight down to minimums but I'm wondering if IFR in anything
but turbine powered aircraft is just outright stupid in a way.

These kinds of decisions are why you're a pilot.

My risk assessment equations change to become more conservative when I have
passengers. I'm willing to allow the risk level to go higher for myself than for
unsuspecting passengers who don't have the knowledge or experience to assess
the risk for themselves. For passengers who are also pilots, I expect them to be
able to assess for themselves whether they wish to go along for the ride or not.

In answer to your specific question, no, I don't think IFR in anything but
turbine powered aircraft is just outright stupid.