Yes it is really long. I can understand why they did it that way. It started out as a platform for quality content and engaged users. Well it still is, but it is used in many unforseen ways too nowadays. Or should I say abused :)

In your wallet you will see that you have 15SP voting power. That is borrowed money. Any SP amount you earn is returned to the owner. It may be a good thing to use some SBD or STEEM to pay the borrowed money back as soon as possible, but it is all up to you. Keep in mind I am not suggesting to use fiat to get things going on Steemit.