While I agree than inadequate preparation is a huge issue that must be addressed (count me in as a huge school reformist), I don’t think the set up changes the overall point.

I think the key issue is whether the typical BA is required, even if every single kid in America is prepared to earn one.

My key agreement with Murray is that a Certification system for many occuppations would be a lot more cost effective and practical than simply requiring a bachelors degree that has very little applicability to the chosen field.

After living in Europe for many years, Germany and the Netherlands seem so have the most rational system of higher education. There is a much wider variety of job training, apprenticeship, higher education options available.

In your setup, the question becomes:

Do we take inadequate preparation as a given and inevitable, and go from there, as Murray does?

or

Do we focus more on legitimately preparing large numbers of people for college? Murray takes this option off the table.

“We will urge large numbers of people who do not possess adequate ability to try to achieve the goal”

to

“We will urge large numbers of people who are not adequately prepared to achieve the goal”

then he is pretty much spot on isn’t he.