Following is a list of some of the biggest downvoting abusers on Steemit. And to make matters even worse, perhaps the biggest abuser of them all, @themarkymark (AKA @buildawhale), is in fact a Steemit Witness (#04). I think that pretty much shows where Steemit is headed, so if anyone here has voted for @themarkymark as a witness, and wants to help save Steemit, it would be wise to remove that vote now, in addition to downvoting the following members so as to remove their power and stop this abuse.
The Facts: If any of the above members do not like one of more of your posts, comments or replies for any reason, they will not only down-vote that post or comment, but will then go back and down-vote many, if not all of your previous posts and comments (plus any you post in the future), thus reducing your reputation rating to near nothing. A scumbag is a scumbag, but the real problem lies with the idiots who run and control Steemit. Only a bunch of total morons would ever set up a voting system as it now is designed. The main problem is that a higher reputation member can always down-vote a lower-reputation member, which will have a significant impact on the lower-reputation member's rating. The reverse however does not hold. A lower-reputation member can indeed down-vote a higher-reputation member, but unlike the reverse, the lower-reputation member's down-vote has no impact on the reputation of the high-reputation member. It's like it never happened.
To all other Steemit Members: I'm sure you have come to realize some of these things, as well as the fact that steem payouts are nowhere remotely close to what they are claimed to be. Only those at the very top of the pyramid get the bulk of the payouts, while the rest of us (the vast majority of us), get virtually nothing.
What is the value of your Steemit Account? My bet is that is it next to nothing, despite all the work you have put in writing and curating articles. Would it come as a big surprise to you to learn that the value of @themarkymark account is over $135,000 (yes, over $135 thousand US dollars)...money that he stole from YOU, and other Steemit members.
You would be wise to withdraw all your steem from Steemit asap. Official complaints have been filed with a number of Government Organizations. This is more than likely why Steemit is no longer an American company, but rather is now located in China...essentially outside the reach of US Law enforcement. @Ned most likely saw the writing on the wall, and decided to get out before the shit hits the fan. You would be wise to do the same.
