If you want Steem to be successful then you (speaking generally, not just you personally) need to be assessing what in your opinion adds value to the community (especially the community of investors who have entrusted their capital to STEEM/SP) and what does not. And then expressing that with voting. Because otherwise there is no mechanism to ensure the investors' money being spent on rewards is actually delivering value, and instead those who value their own personal enrichment will prevail. Investors will then abandon it and it will die.

There is no 'free money' here. It all comes from investors who buy in. Unless limits are put on those who want to take that money and put it straight into their pockets, investors will turn off the lights and the party will be over.

but I think downvoting is the wrong approach

You are wrong.