[FreeKeys]

The problem is, if they fire him, they undermine the tenure process and tenure is an easy way to keep salaries down.

Funny thing is, you addressed this to ME, and I'M one of the biggest fans of CHANGING THE WHOLE DAMN SYSTEM NOMATTER WHAT. Pay for Merit, merit, merit. PERIOD. The VASTLY improved productivity of the citizens will in time more than make up for the costs of hiring REALLY PRODUCTIVE PROFESSORS.

As far as the incompetent ones are concerned, the days of their gravy train are NUMBERED. Keep ranting to your state legislators.

[AmishDude]

Academics will not judge on merit. Trust me, they sway to fashions and trends at the slightest breeze. I see this in mathematics. For a while, biomathematics was the hot thing. It's crap. Now it's Industrial Applied Mathematics, which is supposed to be mathematics without proofs, which is basically just engineering for people who are actually smart.

You assume that there's an objective standard in academics and there is not. And if there is, it will not be followed by academicians, your proposal would simply lead to left-wing academics declaring to be "productive" other left-wing academics.