Upvoting for the work you put into this, but I disagree on some points.

1. A post's value is what it is. That number should not be displayed differently and even if the display changed, that wouldn't change the underlying blockchain value of the post which (presumably) the condensor code (Steemit.com) uses to sort posts into Hot, Trending, etc.

2. Voting on posts doesn't change SBD inflation. The same amount of rewards are going to be given out by the blockchain no matter what. More votes by different people just spreads it around more. We're not mass-producing SBD any more or less with the introduction of pay-for-play voting bots.

3. There is a reason (some) people like Steemit. There are no ads. Content is voted on by individuals (or their bots) and organized based on the power of influence through vested stake in the platform (Steem Power). In theory, those with the most to lose by promoting crap content which drives people away from Steemit instead of to it will be the most motivated to promote good content.

If we flood the "normal" channels with promoted content, then we fundamentally change the dynamics of Steemit. Now it's no longer about popular posts showing up in Hot or Trending, it's about who has the biggest bank roll or rented delegated Steem Power.

Here's an alternative approach:

Buy Steem. Power Up.

It's really that simple. You'll get 6.7% increase in creation of new Steem Power, you'll drive the price of STEEM up for everyone, you'll earn more in curation rewards for the long term, and you won't have to pay a bot or a delegation service (who are making nice profits of their own).

In the future, I think the proper way to handle promoted posts will be to show clearly how much money was spent to promote the post (I think, like votes and views, that's also an important signal) without having to click the arrow for details (maybe a small _{Post Promoted by $10.00} text at the bottom of the post). I also think there should be an option to earn SBD for those who want to see ads/promoted posts. Instead of 100% going to null when posts are promoted, what about a percentage going to a fund which pays out to those who choose (via a custom_json setting on their profile) to view promoted posts in their stream, much like Twitter or Facebook shows promoted posts.

This, I think, could work well.