A question:

When you say, to get to 20Steem, are we talking about 10+10 (Steem+SP) or 20 in Steem alone?

The odd thing is, all those who are downvoting, claim they are doing it to protect Steemit and the small voters. I cannot, for the life of me, see how they are making sense.

Leave aside their support amongst themselves of huge rewards, often more than daily, that is par for the course... what I am confused by is the claim they are supporting the small/new posters. How?

They are told that one way for them to get ahead is to upvote others - so that they earn something from the 50% curator fine, plus us who get curated by them will feel so grateful we will immediately rush to curate their posts in turn!!!

But ... aha, the 50%... just like music in their ears isn't it? The question is, when all these do-good downvoters hit the posters, what is the arithmetic like?

Let us say I use 10Steem to buy some upvotes. What do I get in return as ROI? If I am lucky, maybe ONE steem after a week? Usually less.

For that, I must be penalised! So they hit me me with whatever strength they have (as was done just recently - since HF I have lost nearly 100 Steem, more than 12% of my total worth in Steem - not in USDollars!). 

So my 0.70 to 1 Steem profit is lost. Maybe I do not even get my own money back (yes, it is MY money, since it came out of my wallet). But what of the curators? They have ONE steem taken from their share also?

But those running the bif bots, they are mostly Witnesses, so it is all calculated to never lose them any money - even though I hear that they are funding others with delegations to downvote us. At least the one of them openly says he flags - you got to respect him for that eh?

So, the downvoters are also robbing/hurting the curators? In my case, the majority of people upvoting me are small, a few are lucky enough to have a voting power of 1c.  No whales are upvotng me, so they are not being punished.

I've already taken steps to upload my books elsewhere. They get a library number and are stored forever (well, maybe a few days longer than on this wonderful blockchain?). 

I have not withdrawn ONE steem from my wallet for myself. I've sent a few to those I think deserve some help. I am a pensioner with a tiny State grant and I would love to have some extra earnings, but that is not likely to happen on Steemit - I mean, I've been here for over 2 years and my SP is UNDER 1,000 and my US$ worth is under $200. 

That is how I am robbing the pool? How terrible! Maybe they should send the police to arrest me for being greedy?