This was an absolutely fantastic summary and analysis. A couple things I wanted to touch on specifically, because I feel the same way you do:
I am absolutely blown away by how much voting power I have now. Prior to HF19, I could sway posts by about .08c, which was something but not a whole lot of anything in the grand scheme of things. Now I have a much wider influence and I feel like I can actually make a difference. As someone who's been here since August of last year, it really feels like an accomplishment.
I really do hope more people view the voting change the way you and I do. I like reserving 100% upvotes for something that really blows me away.