Abusive downvotes are a serious problem.

Has anyone considered capping downvotes (and upvotes) at 1 hive, in order to make payouts more reflective of "the community" and not just the "whim of a random whale"?

Any system that allows an individual whale (or a small number of whale pals) to over-ride the "community consensus" of hundreds or thousands of minnows is going to make those smaller fish feel like this is a place where the established oligarchy picks winners and losers as they see fit (with no accountability).