You make some very good points, it could seem very discouraging and counterproductive to what Steemit is supposed to accomplish. I am still a newbie, and maybe a little overly optimistic, but I think that over time, the person who only upvotes their one line comments will plateau. The person who reads the posts of others, leaves well thought out comments, and creates meaningful posts will continue to grow, and grow exponentially instead of flat lining. Not to mention how much more they will have gained in non-monetary terms.