@aggroed very well put, excellent examples!
I haven’t upvoted my comments recently seeing as my power is low I run out, I never thought past the point of trying to get visibility. My vote doesn’t count for much anyhow. I do not think you need worry about your self votes on posts, I always find your posts helpful in some way and personally think you should be able to pay yourself for the effort without confrontation! That said your examples show how some try to “milk” the system for personal gains.