I've offered a solution to this problem https://steemit.com/steem/@snowflake/guardian-of-the-steem-universe-a-different-perspective-on-the-role-of-whales-within-steem-ecosystem-part-2
I agree with you, if all voting power is not given back to the 99% steem will never go mainstream and will end up being a ghost town.
I don't know what it will take for most people to understand this.. ( many gets it but some are not ready to give up their power to make the platform better, they prefer to keep it until it becomes completely worthless)
I hope they see the problem and fix it...we all have a vested interest in Steemit's success.