There should be other options for staked coin profits, like you lock coins in for 3 months and just make passive interest for doing nothing.

Or you stake your coins and create you own community and 10 percent of rewards generated in your community go to you, the communty owner.

Steemit has been the same basic beyotch since it was started, there has been no tweaking it or trying new things at all. You are right though why buy SP to vote for other people? That makes no sense