This is an issue with the voting system; I think this deserves a -4 or -5 for muddled thinking. -22 is... excessive.

I'd like the ability to say that something deserves, say, a -5. And then if the current score deviates from that, my vote is applied to bring it closer to that goal number.

Bad posts often get a strong karma hit initially when the most vigilant readers check them and later return towards zero. It is possible (although not likely) that two months from now the post would stand at +2, your vote contributing to the positive score.