I think you're quite right as far as you go. As I state in my reply to @nathen007 your invoking principle is spot on, but I reckon you need to start at first principles. @nathen007 is right about autovotes, and bidbots are just another form of autovotes, as are selfvotes and circle jerks.

None of them are curation, in the essential meaning of human eyeballs judging content quality.

SOC (defined in my reply to @nathen007) make it possible for communities to limit voting, at least for the most part, to actual curation. It's difficult to overestimate how that will empower people, and how powerful people really are. I dream big, but I note that others before me dreamed big, and built the pyramids, the internet, and Steemit.

I can smell the change on the air, like the ozone that precedes a thunderstorm. Dig deeper into first principles, and dream bigger, and maybe the moon will fit in our sights. Who doesn't want Steem to moon? When it does, the real power of Steemit will be unleashed, and that is the power of people to put their money where their mouths are.

Thanks for a great post!