Abit is the Minnow's Choice!
After reading 
Oftentimes, we talk so much about whales that we forget who truly holds power.
Hint: not marijuana shitposters and breastmen
Recap
What can the top 19 witnesses do?
Upgrading the software when there is a planned upgrade
Upgrading in the case of a hardfork (emergencies/hack)
Provide reliable price feed
In other words, they can control Steem's core infrastructure.
Plus this gig is well paid: 1430 STEEM per day (~$4800) in STEEM Power
What does this mean for a minnow?
All witnesses are whales with political power.
You partly hold the keys to their salary of $1,752,000 a year.
So you can organize yourselves (I recommend on socialsteemit) to pool votes for witnesses who add the sort of value to the network you appreciate.
For example, you may appreciate a witness that upvotes a variety of content, a witness who curates content effectively, or a witness that gives new users a fair chance.
Who do I endorse?
1. He's not full of shit!
He doesn't have delusions of grandeur, though he's wealthier than most of the loud mouths.
He doesn't act all sanctimonious, going on about the purity and ethics of market making.
Doesn't presume to be smarter than you for being an early investor.
Yes, he will take advantage of a rotten system to gain power.
But with that power he will expose it for what it is.
And make direct changes by helping minnows get on the ladder.
2. He gave me a chance on my first day by helping my post climb to $1,000.