I agree on what you say about Bitcoin not being the only choice. If the shit hits the fan the government might look at Bitcoin as the main enemy and go after it. I think it would be OK to own Bitcoin but if all your money is invested in that it could be rather risky. Therefore other Alt coins could also be a good alternative. Basically I like the idea of not putting all your eggs in one basket.
I have been in crypto.currency for a few years and invested in Bitcoin about 3 years ago. I am no expert but I have a fairly good track record. I also follow Max Keiser who has an astonishing record of financial predicting and accuracy.

I basically look for what has real value? And with regards to that, I agree that Bitshares is not a silly investment. Why? For two reasons. 1st because as you say, the new STELTH technology will be a game changer. 2nd because it was Dan Larimer who was involved in the creation of Bitshares, and as we know, Dan Larimer is also one of the founders of Steemit. Anyone who doubts Dan Larimer I tell them that perhaps they do not know that he was around at the beginning of Bitcoin and actually had contact and advice from the infamous Satoshi Nakamoto. Enough said.

In my view Steemit is also a very good bet because it is based on something real as well as something entirely new. I mean it is revolutionary but at the same based upon the traditional idea of how a shareholding Company works. This is what makes Steemit a potential goldmine for investors. If it can survive past the first 3 year curse, then it will boom. The percentage of new businesses and companies that die in the first three years is very high due to high competition and other variable factors.

However, Steemit has no real competitors. It is the first social media platform to use Blockchain technology and that is HUGE. Once the ordinary person in the street understands the significance of that, Steemit will explode in value and that means the price of Steem will go up just like shares of a stock market company do.

I wrote on my own blog that the real value of Steemit, in my opinion, is that it has integrity. The vast majority of its members are genuine people who are careful of what they post. It is "reputation based" and that is extremely valuable in these modern times of fake news, fake celebrities, fake politicians etc. Therefore if Steemit can grow a reputation for being tough with the truth then it will gain the reputation like the BBC used to have before it also old out to propaganda.

It is early days for Steemit I know, but honestly it has begun very positively and I dont see any signs of it dying anytime soon. As the content rises so does its value. Just like Facebook. The more users Facebook got the more valuable Facebook became. Steemit will be exactly the same only this time it will be those who invested in Steemit with Steempower that share the rewards rather than one guy with a funny name. This is why I will always put my steem into steempower, although I am new on the platform myself . I believe in the platform therefore I invest in it. I believed in Bitcoin therefore I invested in it.

With regards to Litecoin, I have always been skeptical. It is basically a piggy back ride on Bitcoins back.

MaideSafeCoin is also interesting because its network uses peer-to-peer technology which is basically building an entirely new internet. This in itself should make it very valuable, however they are having many technical difficulties and I think they will continue to do so for some time as yet. I joined last year and discovered that its members are not very friendly at all and I was frightened away. Most of them are super brained programmers and do not see the value of bloggers or content creators. So if you are not a programmer then you are not welcome at this time. A big mistake in my view. Whereas I had the very opposite experience on Steemit and I think it will not be too long before Steem jumps ahead of MaidSafeCoin on the Crypto-Currency Market.

Dash is very interesting to me but I am still trying to get my head round it. However it has a very good reputation and an amazing super intelligent lady called Amanda B Johnson spends much time promoting and explain it. She always makes a strong case. As long as someone with a "reputation" backs an Alt coin then its chances of survival will increase. I have not invested in DASH but only because I do not quite grasp it yet. I know it has the best anonymity protocol but that could all change when STELTH comes out for Bitshares.

There is much talk about Monero but honestly my gut instinct tells me to be weary of it. No other reason than that.
For what its worth, my top crypto investments are
Bitcoin
Bitshares
Steem
Dash?