Removing the ability will only create a system where it's harder to find the abuse. Someone could simply create another account, and use that to upvote their posts.
I don't know WHAT the solution is, if one exists. All I know is that this kind of abuse is going to destroy steemit, and ruin this for everyone, but the people abusing the system don't care about that. Whether it's minnows, dolphins, or whales, pieces of shit typically ruin everything for everyone around them.
Flagging seems to be the only way to keep these people in check. If someone repeatedly abuses the system, and gets flagged enough, their rep will drop to the point that they CAN'T vote on ANYTHING. That'll teach the fuckers.
Flagging them will probably do that as well. Nice reply. Much to think about. I think the owners and developers are trying to figure out a mainstream model that will work for millions of users. I read somewhere the reward pool has already been drained by 40%. So I wonder what happens next?
The flags literally put money BACK into the pool for people who deserve the payout.