I know what you mean, your deep dive into the Value plan is quite an eye opener.
I actually now think Steem under Ned had more of a future.
We, or rather the chain was still young back then, it was a wild west and most had little idea what to do. We're not perfect now, but I'd be say we've managed to muddle thru and improved a lot. Those who's been around for a while appreciate what we have built, so I still have hope it will get better