Fred,
You seem to think that I'm "proposing giving power to a set of troublemakers." But this is not what I propose. Rather, I propose using statistics to /identify/ troublemakers.
Granted that a simplistic formula would immediately backfire. You and Theresa have correctly pointed out that raw percentage (of times a contributor's edits is reverted) may indicate only that he (or she) tries nobly to settle edit wars -- rather than that they are stirring up trouble.
You would be far off base if you thought I proposed automatic sanctions on users who got reverted a lot. Rather, I am proposing that we track reversions and seek to discover whether the statistics will tell us anything useful.
Key points:
* You can observe a lot by watching. * The truth will set you free. * Don't shoot the messenger.
Ed Poor