And as you can see....i always make lengthy posts! 
Indeed 
Merit isn't on my agenda, if someone merits me i'm glad they enjoyed/appreciated my post or input. I don't need it for any other reason.
You're wrong here: you need Merit to distinguish yourself from the spammers. I've checked your posts, and you clearly aren't the reason Merit was introduced on the forum. Therefore, I think you shouldn't be restricted from ranking up by a lack of Merit. And for that reason I've merited some of your posts.-Lastly the "actual concern from a member with 56 activity" REALLY? You bought Bitcoin before me so my opinion is irrelevant?
I appreciate a Newbie who earned some Merit more than a Legendary who, almost 6 months after Merit was introduced, is still stuck at exactly 1000 Merit. Use this at your advantage.As for the "lengthy posts" part: if you already know this, you can work on it. Read your posts again before posting, and delete whatever isn't really needed. Condensing information makes it more likely to be read.