@ned and @aggroed one solution to funding the worker proposal system is to have some of steemit's steem power put into multiple bidding bots and using the proceeds from the biding bots for funding of the worker projects.

The Steemit bid-bots could be either in competition to the current bid-bots or maybe get witnesses to vote on eliminating for-profit bid bots all together.

Currently the bid-bots are the most powerful mechanism that is contributing to the concentration of wealth on steemit. Owners of the bid-bots are getting more then what they ever could for curation alone without constantly self-voting. Any economy that is this lopsided does not thrive and we are currently in a situation where you need the masses mobilized to develop the Steem economy.

I have personally been toying with the idea of offering my professional services over skype accepting STEEM as payment. Concentration of wealth and not having much that I can directly spend my Steem on are 2 things that prevent me from doing so.

With this solution the worker proposal system is self funded.