First off, thank you for the very very very extensive response :)

I did indeed bundle several questions into one, and you're right that the only binding way to settle this is the proposal itself, the stake-weighted vote, not a comment-section vibe check, but it really help feels the current state of feels.

The post was never meant to replace it actually, but it is an onchain way of collecting opinions and learning from it. If the room here were overwhelmingly "don't even bother," I'd save everyone the proposal. It isn't, it's mixed and thoughtful, so the proposal is likely where it actually gets decided, exactly as you say.