Consider this point: why do we have PerlMonks, anyway?

To learn and improve Perl and related practices. I cannot recall seeing you post code and I have disagreed with every practice argument you've made recently. I propose that we eliminate monks who do not include code in at least 50% of their non-meditative posts.

A great many other sites on the Internet have made the decision to eliminate down-votes. Should we not?

No. We should not. “A great many other sites” online are dung heaps frequented only by gluttonous flies. This is the only site I visit where one must have the chops or the backing evidence to speak out or be clobbered with same. Like JavaFan—who I seem to be channeling—and others, I've been considering “leaving” to put my surplus dev time into more rewarding areas. Losing downvotes would seal the deal.

I cannot remember the last time I agreed with Argel++, the monk I stalk with downvotes, but he was right on previously in this thread: Instead of trying to remove the ability to down vote, you should be meditating on how to become a better Monk.