I found this number in a 1991 publication: almost 300,000 tenured faculty members at more than 3,200 different colleges and universities.

How many such jobs should there be, and who should be paying for the additional ones, if the number is greater than we have today? Are humanities profs with lots of students to teach more or less worthy than science ones that generate lots of overhead but fewer majors?

There are just as many sports millionaires as there are funds voluntarily contributed to pay to watch them. Maybe we could argue about the proper tax structure (usually more of a load for the rich "them"), or argue civic leaders are too generous in funding stadia (when they are just trying to get the popular votes), but those are details.

I have trouble drawing conclusions from such numbers.