I think the idea of a 100K SP delegation to 10 individuals who could demonstrate good stewardship with it is an excellent one. It is specific, actionable, and the effects could easily be measureable. Best of all, it delegates responsibility, not just SP. If he were willing, @ned could implement this with very little need to direct or supervise the effort, and yet would still retain the power to withdraw the delegation at any time.
I have a hypothesis about @ned and Steemit, inc. that springs from my own experience in business so far. Lots of people, especially creators and founders, resist or neglect delegating responsibility. It's not their m.o. as self-starters, and since the vision is theirs it is hard to find anyone on the same page. It's possible @ned is juggling too many priorities.
I've struggled with this, and my business is a heluva lot smaller. My m.o. was putting other priorities on hold to focus on the most important (say, developing and promoting SMTs). It took me a while to see that the things I was putting off would never reach the top of my to do list, even though they were also critically important (say, developing the user base organically).
When I finally prioritized delegating responsibility (not just tasks) to others, my business began to grow. I had more confidence and energy talking to new prospects, because I knew other things were moving forward.
I also lost an important stakeholder in my business in the past 6 months. No matter how amicable a parting, I know that stings. I respect @ned for persisting. I hope he takes the suggestion. I see it as a way to invest in the platform, not a "handout" (as one critique here put it) but something much more like hiring a contractor.
Due to the decetralized nature, the will to keep it uncensored and the early mined stake, Ned has his hands largely tied in some areas. It is up to the community to do things.
That's why this idea makes sense to me. You aren't suggesting governance or even a change to the rules and reward structure. This is simply an investment in people who are already working on community from within the framework of the decentralized platform. Not even a permanent investment: a delegation.
I think decentralization is a good thing, as it's forcing adaptation to grow organically.