If you can come up with any way to shift the status quo from our current failed system to
one where stakeholders actually vote based on content appeal with fewer or no negative side effects, I'm 100% all for it
Every measure I could think of had negative side effects which is why a combination of them used with modest intensity is likely best.
I think a lot of people (including you and me) are trying to think of a better system than the current one, but everything come up with so far has negative side effects as you already mentioned.
I like that you started a new discourse about it, which even Stinc picked up on. Maybe they can come up with a better system with fewer side effects.
The best I have come up with is:
Maybe combine this with passive returns for "locked up" steempower for the investors that don't give a f.ck about content discovery.
I also had a thought experiment with linking ID documents to the account. Nobody is allowed to have more than 2 accounts that earn from curation and posting. You can create more accounts, but without being able to link them with ID they can only write without earning...
(Because linking to ID is the only way that I could come up with to cap the maximum earnings of whales... because they can always split their Steem to 100 different accounts)
Sorry for this long answer...
"Can you come up with something that will make bidbots disappear?"
I think I did. Please see my reply to the OP below.
Thanks!