People aren't paid according to their merit, they are paid according to the market value of the good or service they produce. A history major might have "merit

People aren't paid according to their merit, they are paid according to the market value of the good or service they produce. A history major might have "merit", but they might have to go to law school to leverage it in the market. The social policy conclusions are thrown off by this assumption that people should be paid well because they are smart.