RE: Normie Talk - HF21 Explained (SPS + EIP) What it is and what happens next
We can certainly do that without being taxed. When we look at the evolution of taxpayer funded entities today in America, I bet most of us would prefer to be able to voluntarily fund those we think are a good idea and well implemented, rather than be compelled to pay for all the fedbloat.
I am also sure that proposals incapable of securing voluntary funding will not secure funding for damn good reasons. Lastly, the whales currently extract ~90% of all rewards, leaving actual content creators (which whales are not) with about ~10%. This SPS funding tax will land on content creators most of all, and I expect this to have a dramatic impact on retention, particularly when coupled with author rewards halved in favor of curation, and the damage the free flags will do when censors expand their suppression of free speech for free.
A tax implies you are paying something on money that is yours, the inflation pool is not yours or any of ours. So no, it’s not a tax as you don’t own it. It’s a shared pool made from inflation that is currently allocated to things that are supposed to return value. Reallocating it to something else that adds value is not a tax. It actually comes from those holding stake and if they didn’t hold stake it wouldn’t be there. So if you are set and determined to think someone is “paying” for it, it’s the large stake holders.
A couple more flags will not greatly change unjust flagging, it’s not a free for all after all.. and censorship implies you are restricted.. if you were censored I wouldn’t be able to read your comment. It’s not censorship, it’s an annoyance and unjust flags need to stop.. but I believe downvotes down correctly can do wonders, if they are used.
Pick any credible source you want, but the SPS funding mechanism meets the definition of tax on all of them. The caveats and specifications you use to define tax are not superable by actual definitions of tax by credible sources.
First, we're not talking about a couple more flags, but a pool that allows 25% of flags to be based on the stake of stakeholders without costing them VP to fly. This is a substantial source of flags, and not inconsequential at all. There are already several accounts that do nothing but flag in order to censor people, and this is not because flagging is not censorship. Creating the downvote pool will be very likely to cause many more accounts to be funded for the purpose of censorship, and IMHO, this is the actual purpose of the proposed downvote pool: to censor people like me, that insist on rational discussion of these matters that the substantial stakeholders - all profiteers - need to prevent to keep on extracting almost all the value of rewards into their wallets.
Again, pick any credible source you want. None of them will support your contention that censorship is only the complete elimination of information. Indeed, using your definition, censorship is absolutely and utterly impossible to effect. Information is always able to be routed around censorship. Flagging on Steem front ends is definitely censorship, as it is certainly suppression of my speech. Consider Alex Jones, or Julian Assange. Do you doubt or disagree they have been censored? Yet, I'm sure you can find posts from Alex Jones with nothing more than trivial effort. Julian Assange has been far more censored, because he has been physically held captive and tortured to prevent him from making any posts. Even so, I can show you video that has been created after he was captured and his torture in Belmarsh prison began. Censorship cannot only be the absolute eradication of information, because absolute eradication of information remains impossible. It is a matter of degree.
While you're absolutely correct that downvotes are necessary to the platform, it is also necessary that they incur a cost to prevent what the downvote pool is going to engender: flagrant and widespread censorship.
I don’t feel your sources actually confirm what you are trying to say, but we can definitely agree to disagree. And no the goal of the downvote pool is not to downvote people like you, that response is quite ridiculous. The goal here is to improve Steem, we are all in this together and this post is the place for us all to openly discuss. I understand and respect your concerns and am doing my best to ensure the community’s concerns are heard by those making the decisions currently.
I can agree to disagree, even about facts. Our belief isn't formative of facts after all, and we're free to be wrong without changing the facts.
It's not ridiculous to point out that censorship is happening on Steem front ends, and your belief that your opinion is certainly correct is no more than hubris, which will harm only you should you fail to control it. What the rhetoric claims and what the actions of the substantial stakeholders show aren't identical, and failing to acknowledge that difference isn't reasonable. A stated goal is not necessarily the actual goal. Bernie, for example, is one of the most substantial stakeholders on the platform, who also invented bidbots. That he seeks to censor me is demonstrable, and further, he also seeks to extort self-censorship from you. His above comment is a direct threat to you, and you will act per your sole option regarding that.
Nonetheless, it's demonstrably and provably censorship, and giving Bernie 25% more flags he can fly without cost to his VP will have predictable consequences, and one of those consequences will be many more flags forthcoming from his bot horde. While no one has stated that is the purpose of the downvote pool, failing to acknowledge that will certainly be one thing it achieves is disingenuous, and, indeed, is actually indicative of concealed purposes by those promoting the downvote pool.
That prevarication on the part of downvote pool promoters is one of the strongest reasons I suspect increased censorship is a core reason for the proposal. Honest people would acknowledge and discuss it amongst the pros and cons. This is an indication of the nature of the proponents of HF21, and is a good reason to be very skeptical about the rhetoric they use.
I note that you are doing exactly as you claim, while also having personal opinions. Please understand I am not saying you are prevaricating or disingenuous in your opinions, and do not confuse your opinions with your explanations of what HF21 is. I also am discussing those proposals, and also engaging with you personally on your views regarding them. In neither case am I painting you as someone profiteering or making false or misleading statements.
I certainly have seen no evidence that would lead me to suspect that of you, and hope you do not feel I am characterizing you with those you merely agree with the rhetorical statements of. I appreciate very much your post here, and your dedication and investment in engaging with even I, who do not agree with these proposals.
Thanks!