Where does one draw the line? @ned makes the claim that the money is being used for development, and the community feels like this development is costing 10 times more than it should. If the community feels like this money is being stolen, then maybe it is. It's all a matter of opinion.
Of course this is all a thought-experiment because the fork is never going to happen. It's very obviously far too contentious to actually happen. In addition, that stake can be used to swap in pro-Steemit witnesses. How many witnesses need to agree on a fork? 17? Yeah, not going to happen.