Interesting story. The dealership certainly is a microcosm of the world. I was ready for you to slay the Dragon.
Those in power will always want to remain in power.
I know you said in a previous post that you are stressing out about having to get a job. Your wallet on here is pretty solid and Steem price is holding better than I expected at this point. You could continue to power down and convert the Steem to SBD and as long as it held the $1 peg then you would be earning the interest without taking on the volatility risk on that money and then take out as you need. Also if you keep blogging and curating your wallet will continue to grow. You have a pretty decent buffer the way I see it.