From reading your post, one might infer you are equating being a witness with being a whale. Many of the witnesses are actually minnows just like you and I. They aren't the ones having to do with whether we are in beta or not either. Also, being a witness isn't as simple as downloading an app and "monitoring" the blockchain a couple times a day. The equipment is expensive and paid for BY THE WITNESS. There's also monthly maintenance fees if i'm not mistaken. It is a tedious and time consuming process. I actually know a couple minnow/low level dolphin witnesses so I know this for a fact. Most of Them make little to no profit. So you may want to consider that.

While I definitely understand the frustration with little and/or decreasing profit on our posts, consider we are not employed by steemit so anything we do make we should be thankful for.

Best of luck to you. Steemit definitely isn't where the average person goes to rake in the cash & is an income STREAM at best