You can’t see the flaws in your plan because you’ve convinced yourself that it would easily work and that people would be content with the choices made for them by govt.

Name a country that has a society like you propose.

First thing, people are not "free" in this country, they are in a constant state of economic duress that FORCES them to do things that they wouldnt choose if they truely were free. This includes taking on huge loads of debt in the hopes that they can get a slightly better job, and many never see that job, because there simply arent good jobs out there for every one. I fail to see how setting supply of labor is going to stifle innovation. Controlling the supply of labor would not restrict people from starting their own companies, or inventing things themselves. The difference is that the companies would be competing for labor, rather then the labor competing for jobs. I also would love to see how this country would become a third world status country by taking steps to ensure the survival of the middle class in a post industrial based service economy. I doubt you can present any empirical, or sound theoretical evidence or data supporting this.

This country’s basic promise is freedom and that freedom includes the choice for an individual to pursue their own career, change careers, and make the most of their opportunities. Your plan takes away this freedom and puts it in the hands of the government. Quite frankly, your plan is un-American and it is simply amazing that you believe it to be sound. This lack of freedom in your plan would cement this country in mediocrity, stifle innovation, and relegate it to a third world status. I could easily write a very detailed paper that would convince any reader just how dangerous and flawed your idea is. However, I suspect that people reading these posts probably don’t need to be convinced.

The net effect of my plan would take money from the super wealthy, and raise the pay of lower-middle income white collar and skilled blue collar professionals who are increasingly losing purchasing power, and erase the unneccessary debt load for the excess people not needed for skilled jobs. The government would set up federal mandates on merit, and it would probably be some combination of high school grades and service to the community. Jobs would probably be determined either by aptitude, or highest merit students get first choice. There wouldnt be ANY competition for jobs, because that is the problem in the first place which is driving wages to the ground. We are currently subsidizing employers by taking on the cost of our own training, while simutaneously driving our wages down by adding yet another skilled person to the labor pool.

Interesting solution but one that I think would only perpetuate class warfare and discrimination. I guess you are also saying that those who are “rewarded with very large salaries” are then also going to be the people who will fuel the economy with very large taxes. How do you determine who has merit and who determines it? How do you determine who gets what job? Where is the competition for a job when quotas are being filled – especially if a person is a poor performer? Do you promote protectionism with jobs from foreigners? If so, how do you promote the influx of people of superior intellect? Quite frankly, your solution is so full of holes that it would be easily dismissed. 750 characters prevent me from dissecting this further.

My solution is, and has always been, merit based free education at all public four year colleges, and slots limited by the federal government, but how the slots are filled will be determined by the state to preserve the prestige of certain state universities. Obviously, under the guise of capitalism, its impossible to control which way the demand for workers goes, however, it IS possible to control the supply of those workers. That way, who ever gets stuck working at McDonalds, at least wont have wasted 20k or more and 4 years or more in a college education, poor kids will have the ability to go to school without joining the service, and those who do get the slots at colleges will be rewarded with very large salaries. Community colleges will still be availabe for cost to McJob workers who wish to try to get additional shots at four year slots by improving their grades. The federal government would follow the economy very closely and adjust slots and programs based on it.

I don't think I heard a solution from you.

So, you feel that, if 1 million people went to school to be electrical engineers right now, that they all would have a job installing oncology equipment? Of course they wouldnt. Maybe a few hundred would get jobs, the rest would.....work at McDonalds? This country churns out something like a million college graduates a year. Do you really think the economy is creating a million new jobs requiring college education, in ANY fields? No, its not. In fact, a huge majority of the jobs are very low skilled. As I said, it doesnt matter that some demand for educated people isnt filled, the fact is, on a whole, there are already more educated people then there are jobs for educated people. Even if the educated lined up ideally with demand for them, there would STILL be people with degrees working at McDonalds. That is fact.

Rather than complaining and painting a picture of dire straits, what is your solution?

Also, I never said that McD jobs would be replaced by engineering jobs. What I assert is that people who don't apply themselves and make themselves valuable to the employers that require high skilled jobs will necessarily be relegated to the low income, low skill, McD type jobs. My company deals with the installation of radiation oncology equipment and the help wanted list is extensive. Any electrical/electronics engineer with a degree OR experience has a job if they want it - anywhere in the country and they'll make 4x what you said you're making. This country will not be relegated to PHD's working at McD no matter what you say.

There are countless engineers and scientists who are unemployed or who have been laid off. Companies are going outside of the borders to fill the positions because an engineer from India will work for half of what an engineer from the US will. In many cases, the US worker was laid off or forced to train his foreign replacement. Just check any tech boards. That becomes a self fulfilling prophecy as no students want to pursue those fields any longer for fear of being in a career where they are laid off every other year. As for you assertation that an endless stream of highly skilled jobs are going to continue to be created, thats bunk. At no point in the near future are McDonalds jobs going to be replaced by electrical engineer jobs. Further more, why should a person be forced to continuously pay for their own training chasing the "flavor of the month" job in a particuliar region to find out when they graduate, there is no longer any demand?