two years huh. doesn't sound like a very cheerful anniversary . I'm not around as long as you, wish I was here when steem was 7 cent, although like you, I would probably have been scared to invest.
all the problems you have mentioned are real, but this is blockchain and its not up to ned or the whales. Its up to each and every one of us. Now steem value is down, and activity on the block is also down. Its time for us to rebuild this place with a new core of people so next time the price goes up, we have better distribution to support it.
I'm looking to buy back in. I've also been saying it for a while now that those of us with things to complain about should buy in. That way, our voices will matter more.
It is, after all, the way the place was designed. Stake-based.