Right now there's about 4x as many viewers on ST as members.

That's consistent with my observations, sometimes that ratio is a lot higher, but around 4-5 times viewers to members on a thread is typical. Taking into account that some much smaller proportion of members actually post stuff, then combined, the non-posting members and the viewers make up the vast proportion of those who 'use' ST. They must see some value in it ... so where is the value? It must be from those who post stuff here, otherwise where else could it be? Nowhere. The value comes from those who post.

The point of this is that by banning those in the small proportion of members who actually post, and when those members are generally unselfish contributors, and some who are just plainly enlightened and capable investors, then the risk is that those members vote with their delete button and exit ST, some taking all their posts with them (actually they have to ask the STMod to delete them and their posts, but you get the point).

Then of course ST's value diminishes accordingly. So it must be a very fine line between ST allowing free speech, albeit at times with baiting, vitriol, repetition, argument, ramping, down ramping, etc ... and all the other no-no's, thereby strictly banning the much smaller minority of posters who actually bother to share what they choose to share.

Amongst those small minority who do have the quals and willingness to share, there are the gems that keep bringing us all back to ST. Let's not ban them too quickly, or for too long, or the 'royal we' will quickly find other avenues to discuss our passion for investing. And there are many alternatives.