Hi @benjojo - When I joined in July I had heard of, but never seen, the down vote option. I do remember having discussions about flags and down votes a while ago so here is my opinion as it has never really changed no matter which forum I've contributed to.

I believe that the down vote should be reinstated without penalty to one's earnings. It's a way for people to thumbs down a post for whatever reason perhaps with an optional comment box to explain why they're getting a down vote.

Personally, to have the upvote without the down vote is like giving all the kids a trophy. If everyone's special then no one really is -- again, that's just my opinion.

Flags, on the other hand, should have governing rules because they DO affect earning potential. If a person is going to flag a post, there should be a mandatory drop down menu with reasons: plagiarism, abuse, SPAM, other. The flag could then be sent to Steemcleaners (or some other resource) to investigate the claim.

If the claims are founded they get a warning. If they keep doing it they get nuked. If the claims are unfounded, there should be some kind of canned explanation for the investigation and hopefully the accused continues to participate in the forum.

As things are now - flame wars happen and people love stoking the fires. A community moderator should be hired (by Steemit) and called upon to assess the situation. Flags can be undone but sometimes you need an independent third party to find diplomatic solutions to the problem.