Fixing Steemit: Where's our Rewarded TRX Going at Payout?

I wanted to start a weekly post here in American Steem where I address at least one topic each week. In the process, I hope to learn something and perhaps help someone else out in the process, too.

Steemit does have a FAQ section (frequently asked questions), but it's not very helpful, especially when users are looking for more in-depth answers or an option to openly communicate with anyone about problems on the chain (it sounds like a perfect place for a chatbot, whoever can do those things), so for now I'm left with these random posts looking for answers. This week, I want to ask the question that has puzzled me since arriving here: Where is the TRX?

When I joined the blockchain, I was under the impression the rewards under each post were mine until I realized a portion of them never paid. So, just where is the TRX that the chain awards on every transaction going? Is it getting burnt? Why is the system printing the TRX rewards for us but not placing them in our wallet at payout time? These questions have piqued my curiosity, and I'm sure many of you are also eager to know the answers.

This may be an easy question for the most random long-time user to address for me, and I could search for myself if the site had a more user-friendly search query system/database to help with the process of looking for articles or searching tags. Even a tag cloud on the side of the site would be a start. I could also search Google or another search engine, but since the site is in the dark ages in terms of SEO, that's not an option either (something that could be addressed with a series of changes/shifts in content, tagging systems, and programming). I'll further address that topic in the future.

The lack of a TRX payout hurts the credibility of the site and, quite frankly, the blockchain as a whole if the impression is being given here that this chain is still associated with the TRON system, and it's not.

I've kicked the dirt a little on this conversation and noticed some small conversations across Steemit, so others are wondering where the TRX is going as well. In small talk, I read someone (can't remember who) stipulate it would take a hard fork to remove the TRX rewards system, but I'm not sure if that's the complete story or what the deal is.

If there is an answer out there, I'd like it. Quite a few rewards are in question for everyone at this point. I'm surprised it's not a bigger topic among newer users, as I guess the older users have just grown used to not getting those TRX rewards anymore. If the system is still printing rewards, that means it has to have a history of how much it owes, correct? I'm a bit out of my realm here in terms of know-how, but not in terms of the missing rewards. Can anyone explain this or tag someone who can?

cc: @steemchiller, @justyy, @pennsif, @remlaps, @symbionts, @steemitblog, @steemcurator01, @steemcurator02