Instead of starting with an unnecessarily long-winded introduction, I'll cut to the chase.
User rights are granted through Sonic News Network: Requests for User Rights, but removing those rights can also be requested by the user entrusted with them. In several cases when users have requested demotion or demoted themselves, said users have regretted their action. In one particular scenario, the user has waited half a year before requesting those rights back (unofficially), and in another, a user has requested a total of three demotions for personal reasons (*cough*).
I find this to be a problem, since I feel promotions ought to be given only by the community as a whole, not by a lone administrator acting upon a decision made some time ago, when circumstances may have been different. Whether or not the user deserves his/her rights, they should officially request a re-promotion via RfUR no matter what the situation. Making sure promotions are only given by the community will hopefully cause admins and chat mods alike to consider more carefully if they feel they need a demotion. We have "renewal" nominations if you feel you don't deserve your rights, but keep in mind you were granted those rights for a reason.
So, can we all agree on just this one thing?
Note 1: Lapsing rights are not applicable, since lapsing rights and losing rights are definitely not the same thing.
Note 2: I will be unable to contribute to this discussion for the next few days, so please don't jump to resolutions without me. ^_^