When Steem goes 100x every minnow (500 sp to 5000 sp) will be making $10,000 to $100,000 a year just by self upvoting. Let's see how much they complain then.
I never worked the numbers so I will take your word on it.
It is true that many who have invested the time and effort get reamed by those who just want everything handed to them. It is not easy but it was not easy for any of us.