>  The notion that ozchart is some random poster who got lucky (or through skill) attracted the attention of important patrons, and is now being punished for his success is simply not supported by facts.

That notion is a complete straw man as far as I can tell. One of the replies to Dan's post specifically replied to one of Dan's comments about @ozchartart getting votes from his friends (and pointed out that on a social network this is to be expected). I likewise commented (though I have no personal direct knowledge of any of this) that I expected some of his votes likely came from people who were already followers of his charts and trading analysis (not much different from celebrities who might join Steemit and receive votes from fans).

I don't think anyone claimed that @ozchartart is "some random poster" nor do I expect that high earners will in general be "some random poster". People who succeed in a system based on voting will often if not usually have some in-built source of voting support. It is absurd to suggest otherwise.