Sort:  

The "reward pool" that everyone loves to crow about "protecting" with downvotes is comprised mostly of "below minimum payout" fractional upvotes from small accounts.

All of this fractional dust is collected and then redistributed to the top-earners (posts that make more that 20 steem get some of it, and posts that make 200 steem get the largest percentage of "the reward pool".

So, downvoting = steal from the poor to give to the rich.

Socialism Pool:

I don't like the shared pool. But if there was no downvoting, then the pool would at least be first come first served.

Abuse

Of course the pool can be abused.

Little POOLSSSSSS vs one ring to rule em all

That is why it would be better if Steem were to allow for decentralized pool systems flow through the Steem system similar to how cryptocurrency exchange websites might work as opposed to one big centralized Steem Rewards Pool. Whoever thought that a centralized pool was the best way to compete with the central bankers needs to go see a brain doctor lol.

Coin Marketplace

STEEM 0.18
TRX 0.16
JST 0.031
BTC 63619.61
ETH 2698.75
USDT 1.00
SBD 2.59