I am pro the worker proposal system.
The way I think it should be done is through donations. First of all, @Ned has already mentioned Steemit inc would be willing to donate a lot of Steem, in the millions potentially. While this isn't a guarantee, if this were to happen it would be a great test run. There is no need to go messing with the inflation numbers or tweaking author rewards when we have no idea how this fund will even work. My thoughts are if Steemit is willing to donate a considerable amount, (millions of Steem) - This would be enough to see if this worker proposal system is a good idea or not.
Also, make it a fund account that is easy to donate to. When creating a post have an option to donate x amount of the rewards to the Steem fund account to help support the blockchain. Make it public how much people donate. Give them badges for donating. Most people, especially in the public eye would feel uncomfortable not at least donating a tiny amount. If most Steemians do this, donating large and small, this would be a great runway for worker proposals without any added inflation. There are several ways we can tighten things when it comes to funding this idea. For instance, when people decline payouts, instead of burning the rewards, they can go to the worker proposal fund. I am sure there are other ways we can squeeze all the leaking value that goes to waste and recycle it into the worker fund.
Now in the world where the worker proposal funds are drained so fast, and so much work is being done, & it turns Steem into Dubai and it is apparent further funding of worker proposals is a great idea, then we can think about tweaking inflation.
- My 2cents.