In our part of Wisconsin, we find 100+ ticks on the dogs every outting. Even in the manicured lawn, we find multiple ticks a day on the dogs. We've had multiple cases of Lyme's, and anaplasmosis...so far no Ehrlichia. One of our dogs came with a case of chronic Lyme's (she had never been vaccinated) and needs meds for the flareups and to combat the long-term effects of the disease on her immune system and joints.
IMO Lyme's disease is not a media-induced paranoia. I've known too many people with it and I've seen it in our dogs.
In our case, the vaccine is a godsend. I don't see that we have much choice other than to keep the dogs on doxycycline 100% of the time during warm weather. So there
is a place for these vaccines. And everyone has to weigh the pros and cons for themselves.