Appreciate your encouragement @denmarkguy. It is nice to hear ones content described as well thought out.
What I hear you saying, and correct me if I misinterpreted, is that we ought to be creating content that increases the value of the community. The value of Steem goes up for everyone and the rising tide benefits each of us if we are not seeking our own gain but the good of all by supporting quality content over minimal content.
I sought to say that with the concept of people only tooting their own horn. While I do self-upvote, it is minimal, there is too much valuable content that needs recognition in order for us to continue to grow exponentially and attract new buyers for the coin.
The short-term thinkers will be weeded out. But we risk losing the long-term players if we punish everyone by negating the freedom of self-upvoting.