I imagine that we all appreciate the input of front-pagers, but I've noticed that the rec list has recently been dominated by diaries written by front-pagers. Since these diaries will likely (perhaps inevitably?) reach front-page status, it seems unlikely that they need the promotion associated with rec-list status.
Might there perhaps be a way to exempt or block such diaries from the rec list? It would seem likely that blocking posts which will find the front page regardless of up-recs might encourage posts by and up-recs of folks who might otherwise be overlooked.
Just an observation about recent trends....