I happen to believe that you're a Model Steemian my dear ; )
The folks that built this "Platform" really didn't think the whole thing through when they RUSHED this version to market.
And why the RUSH?
Probably to "Game" the system in such a way as to give themselves a MASSIVE advantage...
So massive in fact that "Self-Voting" is a very small example of this advantage.
The fact is, this network was broken right out of the gate thanks to this MASSIVE advantage the designers gave themselves and their friends. So MASSIVE was this advantage, that many of the "Advantage Class" have to avoid using the very network they built and decline payouts so as not to take TOO much advantage... of the MASSIVE advantage they've already given themselves.
That all being said, I use this platform to interact with the Model Steemians such as yourself and use the established Oligarchs as examples to point out to other professionals in Crypto; don't be like "THEM".
No amount of "Philosophizing" on this problem will fix it. We'll likely see a better solution on a subsequent version. SteemON Sis-Star! ; )
I had come to the same conclusion after the last hard fork and Dan left. The system is set up to milk the profits to fund new ventures by the huge accounts that run steemit. Once the cow is milked out it is used for hamburger...just my simple farmers view of this platform right now.
Thank you Mr @frankbacon, I will be working on your portrait this new year. I read about frank bacon whilst research my subject. He was an amazing and complicated person.
Steemit has introduced me to a wonderful new world but it will be corrupted just like our old fiat/tax slavery system if we all can't change our old trauma based conditioning of bonding and supporting our abusers and picking the corn out of their shit just to survive.
Touche
Epic!
Why can't the next hardfork solve these issues? Current problems won't be here forever, and steem is not tied to steemit. Smart Media Tokens can change the internet.
If a platform gives you an advantage in your every day life, you want to use it. when you are on the outside of steemit, you see it as something great. Then you realize some people gave themselves a huge advantage, which is not ethically right, but why should you care? a user will join steemit because he can also benefit from it, and this is what he saw before joining, even while others were abusing the system... This is why the platform can and will grow despite these problems. Anyway they will be fixed eventually.