Ok these are excellent observations.
You mention the concept of "proof of authority". As a very strong advocate of Larken Rose, this raises my eyebrow. Could you point me to material that explains this concept in detail? What manor of authority (expertise, experience or "do what I say") is this proof? Is it similar to stake weighted PoS, or is it more of a representation of consensus?
It's got it's similarities at least superficially. But where it differs is that key parameters of the VIVA economy are set by people who own a separate business layer coin called "VIVA Crowns".
These coins give you the "authority" to mint a fixed percentage of the new VIVA to be minted for the entire time you hold said crowns. This right is assignable in contracts that run 90 days. The contracts called "Treasury Rights", are "executed under the authority of" the crown holder that generated them.
This means that if said contract manages to mint a negative amount of coins that the crown holder who authorized it, is on the hook to take active steps to remedy the debt situation as soon as possible. Until he or she does this, their "authority" is no longer recognized by the network.
More details are here...
https://steemit.com/vivacoin/@cryptomancer/my-entry-in-the-viva-whitepaper-contest
https://steemit.com/vivacoin/@cryptomancer/my-entry-in-the-viva-whitepaper-contest-part-2