Very well thought out and articulate post. You have written what I have been thinking recently, and written it much better than I could have. I am new to Steemit and still learning. However, the terms 'pay to play' and 'rent seeking' nail exactly what I have been thinking about what is going on here. I wrote a post about it, asking if Steemit was a pyramid scheme, requiring money for newbies to get anywhere. Anyway much to think about in your post.