Times have changed and the merit standards have increased over time. I suppose you can blame the guides for that, though it has helped many people become more adept in typing out great comments that are merit-worthy. Comments that truly help the developer, by being detailed and complete, stand out. I can personally say we do look for reviews. Every day, in fact. It's just up to you guys to create them. I dunno how many times this has been re-iterated, but ehh....
On the subject of merit votes, all new ideas are directed to AG3 features. Merits in general, it's unlikely to be included in AG3 to start off. It may be included in the future, it may not, we'll just have to wait and see (and if you particularly want them, hope)
I think other users should be allowed to vote for other users to get merits. But when they vote, an online moderator, admin etc or the last one online can take a look at the comment and see if it deserves a merit.