This is not going to be an easy post to write, as no matter how I word it, there are those who shall understand it, take it at face value and there are those who shall for whatever reason try and twist my words around into something that I did not think, write or say!
I guess I can apply my rule of thumb:
“I am only responsible for what I say, not for what people understand”
What I am about to mention is my first one on one encounter as far as “Witness vote selling” goes.
I had a conversation in which one of our witnesses openly mentioned how they are considering “selling their witness votes for financial gain”.
The witness has a substantial amount of proxied votes and in my case can make me jump from position number 50 where I am at the moment of writing this post, back to position number 46 where I was earlier today.
Openly, in a calm manner, very up front, without any hesitation, which I do appreciate as it wasn’t said to me in any secretive or roundabout way. So at least I admire that open and up front approach, I do like straight shooters when it comes to business. So don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t an unpleasant conversation, just one that I have to talk about openly so that I get it off my chest without going behind any ones back.
Maybe I should have done as I was planning to do and that was to write this today, sleep on it and then read it again tomorrow prior to posting. Well, yes, that would have been my regular approach, however there is nothing that I can say tomorrow that will differ from today except maybe some added “diplomacy”.
The proposal was that
“I calculate how many more blocks I will be producing with that witness vote and to split that 50/50 with the voter”.
The person also mentioned how they are considering a split with all the people who are using them as a proxy.
Now, I was kinda left speechless for a minute or so, felt like 10 minutes, idk.
Personally, I am all for a logical and efficient business approach to anything that outright concerns “Money”.
However, in this case there are a few things that I cannot agree with, namely I shall not be able to take this offer on and my reasons are the following:
1- It actually defies the entire governance model of our ecosystem.
True, it may be the case that some people are already selling their votes for money.
But if it is happening, it is happening in a way that I have not come in contact with it to date.
Some may claim that “vote trading” is the same.
I dare say that when voters exchange votes for whatever reason they may have and do not ask for a financial payment is not anything of a “sale”.
Everyone votes for different reasons and in the case of witnesses who vote for each other, I’ll openly admit that when a witness votes for me, I try to find a way to return the vote for them. In a way I do feel that I owe them, that they have done a good deed by me and that I need to return the good deed. Maybe I’m wrong, I’m not saying that I am right, what I am saying is that I feel that way when a Witness votes for me. Just saying it as it is.
So, someone supports me and I will support them, I will even go out of my way to make sure the people I hang out with hear that “so and so witness” voted for me. Not in a way that suggests to them that they should vote for that witness, but in a way that puts the information out how I have gotten the support from a fellow witness.
So, consider that to be what you wish, this is how it is.
BUT I REFUSE TO PAY $ FOR A WITNESS VOTE.
2- Supporting people out there who have voted for me.
I have looked at this from many angles and I’d much rather say that I am supporting people who have and are supporting me.
However after this experience, I shall undeligate my bots 
There are already witnesses in the system who take advantage of their “upvoting” capacities and make it well known how they have the ability and delegations to give nice upvotes, so it is kinda “understood” that a witness vote their way can’t hurt. Without ever saying it, but that is how people feel/understand it! Yeah, they are hoping for a nice plump whale vote their way if their witness vote gets “noticed”. But that is an entire different story and I won’t get into it.
Basically, I have made my decision to do this as I don’t even want to give the impression that I am doing anything of the sort.
I shall delegate the 500SP from thanku to UMVbot and the 500SP from thanku to ANZUB.
Simple as that.
3- Further more. I have already paid for my server and tech support all the way through to March 2019.
My wife and I have agreed that all the earnings made from block production via my witness server shall go to charity.
Whatever that $ figure may be on the day the conversion rates are calculated for Steem, that is the amount in FIAT that shall be dealt with. Simple as that. So the Steem being paid into my account from me running a witness server is NOT MINE. Well, in a way it is, but it isn’t for me and I shall not give it to others.
The option of me earning Steem via posts to pay for a vote is again just not going to happen.
I could probably write an essay on this, but so far I have managed to make it VERY CLEAR that it isn’t going to happen.
Why am I not mentioning any names here in this post.
Well, I said to the person that they have 15 days to tell me what they have decided or defined.
So in fairness to them, I shall not mention a name.
Hopefully that person shall read this and see it from this angle and maybe think about it from this point of view. Likewise respect me for not doing the dirty to them by talking about it all behind their back.
Only fair considering that it was laid out to me on the table as to what is expected from me to get the big mamma of a vote that can put me back to where I was this morning!
Now, again, I don’t judge anyone for their decision to proxy to someone, I don’t judge anyone for their decisions and reasons for voting for someone. I don’t judge this person either for considering this type of approach.
It must be frustrating to not be in the top20 and hold idk how much Steem in SP.
Seriously, it must be frustrating to deal with reality and sure, as a human being who wants to succeed this person is now looking at ways to make their goals happen. It doesn’t mean that they are “bad” what it means is that they want results which they haven’t achieved with the methods/means used to date.
So they are exploring different options out there. This is in a way a form of “Creativity”.
So let’s not judge, let’s try and understand WHY some people are frustrated with some of the things that are happening the way they are!
Whatever the case, I had to get this off my chest without going behind anyones back.
Not my style, likewise, I feel that a post was and is the only way to do this openly and sincerely.
Thank you for reading.
Hope you can appreciate my situation and the fact that I as a Dolphin am not in a position to pick a fight with a whale. So this is my way of making sure I don’t get burned in whatever the future here may hold in terms of selling or not selling votes for $.
Yours truly
Jack Miller
