Your efforts are really important and I appreciate the ongoing discussion about improving the economics here. As you know, I have mixed feelings about these specific proposals, but I'm not at all against them either. If they gain more support, then I'll be glad to give them a try.
Please consider, though, that both SMTs and communities will introduce some new dynamics in terms of potential opportunities and revenue streams that might entice stakeholders to invest in those slightly longer term Steem-based projects. That in turn could change the economic balance again. I know you and Kevin will say that the same underlying problems would remain and you might be right, but the system we have also might work better once people have some more options for using their time and money productively.
Are we even getting communities? I get a feeling that ned took the work there and basically put it in his new app instead to raise more money but I'm not sure
That's my guess also, moving it over there. I have no more info than you do. But at some point, I think we'll get something like communities or the tools to create them, which should (theoretically) open up new income opportunities for some members of the community.
I guess the bottom line for me is that I've become agnostic when it comes to the economics. I can't predict what will work and what won't. I don't know whether or not your ideas will work better than what we have. Short of experimenting with a dozen different things to determine the best course of action, I see it as educated guesswork by someone who obviously cares deeply about improving the platform.