I feel like there's a lot more to this than "pay it twice". If you're talking purely in dollars, then you'll want to consider maintenance and upkeep over the expected lifetime of the object and compare that to alternatives. Additionally, everything has an opportunity cost because no resource is limitless and you could have allocated it elsewhere. Finally, emotional and other intangible benefits are something that most people have a very difficult time quantifying.
If you want to say "consider more than just the purchase price" then I'm with you.
I'm not certain all that is necessary but I agree there should be no more than one active vote at a time and it should be pinned to the top. It's quite easy to miss what's going on if you don't happen to log in every day.
This is hugely personal to your own interests. Personally I am subscribed to communities around news, science, gaming, whiskey, and my favorite sports team. You can always use the community browser to look for something specific or just keep an eye on the "all" listing to see if something catches your eye.
Vote for 3.
Honorable mention for 11 but all of these are fantastic. Great job by the artists.